I, Ker3nsky: Messiah
by RougeBaron
Summary: The Ridinghood Cavaliers, Shooting Stars, 13th Wolf Regulars, and Winsome Rose joined forces to fight Word of Blake's Manei Domini. Their darkest hour and their moment of glory is separated by one and only one action: sacrifice. Some did not survive.
1. Prologue Valentine Special

**I, KER3NSKY: MESSIAH  
**_**A Battletech Story by RougeBaron**_

**Note:** I thought I wouldn't be posting this until summer, but given the nature of this Prologue, is there a better time to post this than Valentine's Day?

Honestly, it's a bittersweet time for me to write this part. Through the course of the story, I became more and more attached to Parker because the way I wrote him in 1st-person POV. That's why these series drew a lot of energy and took a lot of time to write. But ending **I,Kerensky** series doesn't mean that I'm writing Parker off. I just won't write him in 1st-person POV anymore, meaning that I will cut my bond to him by the end of this trilogy. It has been a long and emotional journey, but all good things must come to an end.

**I, Ker3nsky** takes place between 3073 and 3079 during the _Jihad_ period. _**SulliMike23**_ and I chose Victoria (in FedCom, not in CapCon) because at that time the planet was not included in any of canon BattleTech major events. We wanted to have all the liberty we could have. I'm also honored to have **Nebelung** stars in this story. _**Kat Wylder**_ had been a very supportive fellow and I am glad I can finally pay homage to Kat's work in an appropriate way. And I'm glad to have _**Rica**_ and _**Bien Canonizado**_ on board. They have been helping me with research and ideas to make this series an enjoyable experience.

One thing I need to point out is that some realism in this story may offend readers. The Word of Blake are zealots, we are all aware of that. But I use the fanaticism of a certain religious group (thanks, _**MosinM38**_) to depict the Blakists. Please be advised that I am not making reference to any religious group. I am making reference to their radicalism, not their beliefs. If you are still offended, send me a PM. We'll solve it quietly.

_**BattleTech/MechWarrior**_ and all its components is copyright of _FASA, Wizkids, ActiVision, MicroProse_, and _Micro$oft Entertainment_.  
**_Ridinghood Cavaliers_** and all its components is copyright of me, **_RogueBaron._**  
_**160th Davion Guards / Shooting Stars**_ and all its components is copyright of _**SulliMike23**_.  
_**Nebelung**_ and all its components is copyright of _**Kat Wylder.  
**__**Winsome Rose**_ and all its components is copyright of _**Rica**_ and _**Bien Canonizado**_.

No characters were harmed or killed without the consent of their respective owners.

And happy V-Day for everybody.

* * *

**PROLOGUE **

_**Freedom Hall,  
**__**New St. Andrews, Periphery,  
**__**Valentine's Day, 3070**_

"Do you, Parker Kerensky, take Evangeline Ridinghood to be your wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until death do you part?"

I had never understood wedding ceremony. I did not understand why Evee and I had to go through a mnemonic of courses, rehearsals, dinners, meetings, appointments, and a ton of other arrangements that I was too sick to remember. Evee and I knew that we were inseparable, and so did others. The idea of dressing up like clowns, walking in front of guests who already knew the fact that we were lovers, and proclaiming our vows in front of everybody still escaped me. The tedium of this process had annoyed me to the bitter end, so much I came to a point that I would throw up.

But Evee once said that a wedding was a girl's one-time show. Every girl dreamt of a perfect wedding. This was her dream. As irritated as I could be, I would not take this dream away from her. Let her bask on this glimmer. Besides, she said it was a _one-time show_. I would go with Evee on this one, but I would not tolerate anymore of this. Never again.

"I do," I replied, just like the rehearsal.

"Do you, Evangeline Ridinghood, take Parker Kerensky to be your wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until death do you part?"

Evee stood right in front of me in complete splendor. Her dress was like satin cloud, sprinkled with little gems. She wore the same hairdo as the one she had at Tecumseh: partially pulled behind her head, while the loosened half fell freely on her naked shoulder. A train of silky tulle was embedded on her hair, clamped by gem-studded tiara. She was stunning beyond belief, even more so than 7 years ago when we met at Tecumseh.

"I do," she responded eagerly, smiling.

"Ladies and gentlemen, by the power that is vested in me, I am proud to announce for the first time… Mr. and Mrs. Parker Kerensky!"

The flock stood and clapped while music blared, accentuating the bond between us. The bond that no one could supposedly interfere, until death do us part. Of course it was an absurd concept! Once again, I could bicker on and on about this ritual, but I was tired doing it. I knew that no matter how many silly things I did today, on this ceremony, I would not lose Evee again. It was the most important thing for me.

"You may kiss your bride," the official said to me.

Finally! The only thing that caught my interest. I leaned forward, but stopped inches away from her face. I just had to look at her. Dear Kerensky, Evee was magnificent. I thought 7 years ago was her highlight, but clearly I was mistaken. Her eyes, her cheeks, her lips, her scent, everything lined up in perfect harmony. Added to them the grandeur of a marrying woman, and I had the luxury of the most beautiful girl in New St. Andrews, in Inner Sphere, or in mankind's charted territory, for all its worth.

And she was mine. Mine and mine alone. All mine!

As my lips touched hers, the bells rang, the trumpets blasted, and the choir chanted in alien language, but I did not care about them anymore. Twelve years had passed since we first met at Engadine. Three years we parted, then another 4 years living separately, all because of my stubbornness. The last four years were 'miss and match', with me practically crawling on her feet. But if it was what I needed to understand that love alone was not enough, that I had to work to make it happen, then so be it.

"Hi, honey," Evee whispered amidst the cacophony. "Doing alright?"

"Tell me this is over," I whispered back. "Please, let it be over."

"Oh yeah, it's over," she smiled at my constant impatience. "Only party remains."

"_Stravag!_ Four more hours!" I sighed, to which Evee giggled. She knew how cantankerous I was regarding wedding ceremony, and I could not count how many times she yelled at me, but for some reason she thought I was cute when I was doing it. I swore I was not trying to, and I wished I could wipe that self-righteous smile off her face. But there was something in her face that I had never seen before, something divine. Seeing her in pure joy like this, I thought everything was worth the trouble.

"Then let's get this thing out of our way," she hooked her right arm on my left. "We've waited twelve years for this day. We can always endure four more hours."

I huffed, but there was nothing else I could do. We walked on the aisle toward the reception hall. It was a wide room, enough to host 2000 men, but Evee wanted the guests to be as comfortable as possible, so she arranged tables to hold only 500 guests. The decoration that she chose was exemplary. She did not mind doing all of these. In fact, she was happy arranging seats, decorations, food, music, servers, wines, and all the little details that would make her perfect wedding perfect, without my help.

My contribution? To shut up and do everything she said.

As we entered the hall, servers scrambled us with _hors d'oeuvres_, and the band played music that got everybody in the mood. We initiated the toast and then walked around to greet our guests while they were filled up with culinary perfection that Evee prepared with the best cooks in New St. Andrews. First the MacGregor's family, my current employer who had been thrilled to have an ex-Clansman working in their army.

Then Evee's battalion, members of Ridinghood Cavaliers in whom I served as the CO of the battlemech company. Alison was the _maid-of-honor_, some sort of _lance commander_ of the bridesmaids. Kangpae was the _best man_, a clear misnomer because he was not the best man in the room. Wedding terminologies were absurd. Then the ex Kuritans, who still snapped a begrudging stare at me from time to time. I did not know why they still saw me as an outcast. I thought marrying Evee would soften their attitude toward me. I was wrong, especially about Yamada.

Then some Davion representatives, in which the Garret family belonged. Evee's past collaboration with 160th Davion Guards earned her a special place in Davion's list of liaisons. She exchanged banters with Kyle and gave him a warm hug, then did the same to Natalie, and kissed their son Thomas. Then it was my turn to meet Kyle. I knew he was going to make fun of me, so I braced myself while I offered him a handshake.

"You look great in tuxedo," he chimed, wild smile on his face.

"I always keep my promise," I replied. "You wanted to see me in a tuxedo, so here I am, making a fool of myself just for you. And congratulation on your victory over the Steiners. It is long overdue, but it is better than never."

"The FedCom Civil War is over," Kyle mentioned. "We have a new breed of war. A zealous splinter of ComStar waged this sordid _Jihad_ against the entire Inner Sphere. They already played it dirty with nukes and bio-chemical weapons. The Shooting Stars are transferred to Victoria. Lyran Intelligence Corp agents reported an unusual amount of activity. After this wedding, we're going straight to Victoria."

"The Word of Blake," I heard news about them. "What do they want to achieve with their _holy war_?"

"Fanatics never cease to amaze me," Kyle quipped, but I sensed a serious overtone. "To liberate Inner Sphere from corruption. To return humanity to Jerome Blake's teaching. To conquer and lead Inner Sphere under their banner. Who knows, Parker? They can claim myriad holiness as their motives, but they're all the same to me. It's always about greed."

"So you will fight them," I mused. "They do not play fair, and it is the fact. They initiated illegal weapons. I think it is easier to nuke Victoria than going on world and fight them head on. The Word of Blake is not an honorable adversary. They do not deserve respectable death."

"I agree, but then what makes us different than them? Even if we win, nothing is left but emptiness. You know how it is, Parker. You learnt it on Solaris."

I knew Kyle did not mean to bring back painful memories of Solaris, but his last comment stung a barb wire in my mind. The gauntlet of Solaris misfortunes flashed quickly, enough to stun me for a moment. He was right. I could not go through that again. Victory was not a destination. It was a journey.

"Hey, hey, hey!" suddenly Evee interrupted, tugging my arm. "What are you doing, Garret? This is my wedding! No talking politics in my wedding!"

"My apologies," Kyle grinned and nodded. "Off you dance then."

Just then, the music changed to something familiar. It took me a while to recognize that it was the same song that Evee and I had our first dance 7 years ago at Tecumseh. The one when we ascertained our temporary closure, and when we thought we would never see each other again. Evee towed me to the dance floor, beaming with delight.

"You remember," I said while I grabbed her arms. "You remember this music."

"How can't I?" she replied in a sweet mirth. "Our first dance."

"I danced like a robot back then."

"What do you mean 'back then'? You still dance like a robot, you twerp!" she shoved my shoulder.

"Then why do you insist on dancing with me? I will only embarrass you."

"Embarrass?" she leaned her head toward me. "God, no. You make me happy."

As we swayed in rhythm, I wondered what she saw in me. I hurt her, I made her miserable, I offered her nothing. No life, no future, nothing. She could have married a prince and lived off unending wealth and joy. But whatever it was, I made her happy. No matter how dark my past was, I made her happy. I could ask her what it was that made her happy, but I did not want to spoil her evening. I could ask her tomorrow. Or perhaps... never. Some things were better left unsaid.

_I made her happy_. That was what really mattered.

* * *


	2. Chapter 1

**ONE**

**Note: **The Prologue broke 2 personal records:  
1. Fastest review: 6 mins 38 secs after upload, by **_FraserMage_**. Frase, you are the man! I kneel before thee!  
(However, **_SulliMike23_** broke it for this chapter: 5 mins 13 secs! Damn guys, you're killing me!)  
2. Most reviews for an opening chapter: 7 reviews during the weekend, 8 in total. Normally I get 2 or 3 for my opening chapter. Thank you very much for everybody that left reviews. I promise I will work my butt off to please you.

I'm ahead of schedule, so this is Ch.1 for your reading pleasure. Unfortunately, I will be out of US for 3 weeks. That means the next update will be in April. Again I'm sorry for a very slow update. Hopefully things will settle down a bit after I come back to US. Work usually slows down during summer, so I'm hoping to catch up with writing by then.

* * *

_**MacGregor's Palace,  
**__**New St. Andrews, Periphery,  
**__**May 13, 3072 **_

I woke up with a hideous migraine. My ears were still ringing, and my muscles had not regained their rigidity from the athletic evening with Evee. Well, evening was an understatement. I remembered looking at the reddish dawn before I finally could close my eyes. Our archetypal intimate session lasted the better part of the night, and we spent all morning recuperating in bed. As any usual morning-after, I did not want to get up just yet.

But something spooked Evee this morning. "Honey, wake up!" she shook me with earthquake-like intensity. I dragged myself out of the blanket, getting increasingly agitated at Evee for interrupting my sleep. But the sheer volume of the news rattled my brain, and although my vision was still a blurry tint, my ears caught the Word of Blake, Victoria, and something about lost Davion units.

_"... the confirmation was obtained off the record when Yvonne Steiner-Davion held a meeting with Nathaniel Hasek at New Syrtis. Hasek's adjutant mentioned that the meeting was to discuss possible reinforcement for 160th Davion Guards who had not reported for months. The Shooting Stars, as it was popularly known, was sent to Victoria in 3070, but lost contact with the rest of Davion force since January. Its fate is still unknown." _

I looked at Evee, holding her hand on her mouth while watching the news intensely. I understood how she felt about Kyle and his battalion, and my mood turned moribund myself. Kyle and Natalie were true friends, and knowing what could have happened to them robbed my mind from euphoric hangover. I heard snippets about Word of Blake's atrocities, and they were sick.

_"The world of Victoria is located near FedCom - Capellan border, and it is only logical for Duke Nathaniel Hasek to send reinforcement to Victoria. However, with New Avalon under the guns of the Word of Blake, Capellan March suddenly becomes the lesser priority for the duke. Will he liaise with the Capellans to take Victoria back, or will he opt to fight a double-pronged war with the Word of Blake and Capellan Confederation? Only time will tell. However, the 160th Davion Guards may not have that much time..." _

"We have to get them," Evee whispered in tremor. "We have to come down to Victoria."

Of course we would. For me, Kyle and Natalie were good friends, and I would not let them suffer in the hands of the Blakists. But for Evee, they were more than good friends. They were friends in blood, rooting back to their grisly struggle at Carver V. Her reaction to the news was far from surprising.

However, going against the Word of Blake without preparation would lead us to disaster. The Blakists were different from any adversaries we had battled before. They fought with tactics and intensity unknown to the Cavaliers. And they did not hesitate to use weapons of mass destruction.

"Evee, do not rush," I got up from the bed. "I understand what Kyle means to you. He is my friend too. But this news is five months old, and we may need months to reach Victoria. Consider the possibility that Kyle's unit is still around by then. And we are not ready to take on the Word of Blake, not at this moment. We have not fought quality battles for years. We need time to prepare."

Evee looked at me, pleading to understand. I knew I was risking her respect for me, now that she might see me as an egotistical jerk. The truth was, I would have rushed to Victoria if I were not married to her. I knew I could handle myself against them. But the Cavaliers were not ready for _jihad_. Especially Evee. She had not been in a battlemech since 3066. It was my responsibility to take care of her, even more so now that I was married to her.

"What if he survives? What if he's down there, waiting for reinforcements that may or may not come? You've never been cut off from your unit. You've never felt the agony of being left alone behind enemy line." Evee averted her eyes, watching the news for some more. "Three years after Helmer snatched you, it was easier to think that you were already dead. Lost. Absorbed into Jade Falcon Clan. But I still came for you to Wotan. Aren't you glad that I did?"

_Stravag!_ She got me. She knew me all too well. I could only exhale my defeat, "Yes, I am. But you were prepared against the Jade Falcon. The Cavaliers had done nothing but running patrols for the last 4 years. They might have forgotten how to fight, not to mention an adversary as insidious as the Word of Blake. And you," I looked at her in the earnest, "the last time you rode a battlemech was six years ago. Evee, I cannot lead the Cavaliers in this condition. I will not risk you to doom."

Evee gave me a soft gaze, partly understanding, partly gratitude, but mostly pity. "I see that married life has turned you into a hopeless romantic," she stroked my bare chest. "I love you, honey, and I appreciate your care for me. But this is about Kyle and Natalie. We just have to go for them. You know it's inevitable."

"Then let me go," I was desperate to keep her off Victoria. "I will get them for you. You stay behind."

Instead, she grabbed the remote and changed the channel to show a map of the Inner Sphere. "Look, here we are," she highlighted New St. Andrews outside Free World League, "and here's Victoria. The shortest distance would be through Atreus. But we can't do that. Free World League is the primary supporter for Word of Blake. We have to stay away from Free World League and Sarna March."

Using her remote, Evee highlighted the jump sequence from New St. Andrews to Lyran part of FedCom, then across the border to DCMS territory, then south to Victoria. "This jump sequence will take us two years to complete. You can teach us some Clan maneuvers in two years. The Cavaliers will be ready in two years. I will be ready in two years."

"Do you think Kyle will hold his own for two years?"

"I don't know," she leaned her head on my shoulder, rubbing her verdant blonde hair against my cheek. "Kyle's a tough, resourceful man. But even if we come too late, we'll kick some Blakist's butts in his honor. You were made for war, Parker. Don't you miss it? The sound of explosions, the resplendence of lasers, and the screeching missiles on the battlefield?"

I felt my blood bubbling with adrenaline just by the thought of getting back into real war. "Fine. I will do it, as long as you understand that this campaign may not save Kyle on time. I know how you feel about him, and I just don't want you to get hurt."

Evee cooed and shot a bizarre glare at me, smiling awkwardly. It was completely out of place, to which I could only respond, "What?"

"Nothing... nothing..." she got up from the bed. "Come on, we have a lot of work to do."

I was about to open my mouth, but Evee had locked herself in the bathroom. So how did this marriage thing work? I did not have a clue. She was a strong woman who possessed some Clan qualities, and I always respected her for that. But since she married me, she hardly listened to me anymore. Did marriage give her a right to do that? Honestly, I had no idea. This Spheroid thing was getting weirder by the minute, and I wished I knew what I got myself into.

* * *

**_Jumpship Paladin,  
_**_**Lancaster Jump Point, Alarion Province,  
**__**Lyran Commonwealth,  
**__**December 28, 3072 **_

I was a Wolf once, and my nature was to hunt. Although I did not remember my hunting heyday, I still inherited my hunting instinct. Nobody bested me in hunting games, because I was what Wolf Clan made me: a hunter. And wolves never hunted alone. They were social hunters that used speed and intelligence to round up preys and kill them in a swift, brutal fashion.

Those were the impetus behind me making the Cavaliers fight like wolves: hunting as a team, using speed and number, taking strategic positions to round up their foes, and wasting no time in moving on to the next objectives. I did not know how Word of Blake's strategy, but I knew that my strategy would work against almost any adversaries. At least, it would save the Cavaliers from possible massacre.

Sadly, the Cavaliers did not listen to me.

As soon as the simulator wall turned into a detailed prairie, I coerced my _Hollander_ to crouch. There was a train of hill on my left, a river on my right, and an old refinery in front of me. The hills would provide unprecedented view over vast area. The refinery was an excellent ambush site. But the river would be the best choice to hide, since the water would conceal my heat signature. Shinoyama's, Kikuchi's and Yamada's _Drillsons_ would not loose their speed. That was where I would go.

"To the river," I commanded the _Drillsons_ to follow me. "Passive radar only, and cover my back." I throttled up and rushed to the river, relying on visual contact. By limiting myself to using naked eyes, I reduced my coverage to 300 or 400 meters radius. But if I could not see Evee, Alison or Kangpae, they could not see me either.

I designed this exercise to make the Cavaliers familiar with the concept of fighting like wolves. So imagine my frustration when I saw Alison's lance sniffing around the river bank, flashing long range radar, hoping to catch me. Why did they insist on archaic strategy that put a light lance way ahead of the heavier mechs? Alison's lance did not have any protection except their ability to run. Well, their mistakes.

I waited until Alison's lance came within my Gauss range. She upgraded herself to an _Assassin_, a fast medium mech that could outrun most light mechs. Two _Jenners_ sandwiched her, and _Scarabus_ served as the ECM and TAG machine. Her choice to bring a TAG mech prompted me with the fact that Evee or Kangpae, or both, relied heavily on LRM. My gut said the missile boats were hiding on the hills. My choice was obvious: to kill the _Scarabus_ before it could tag me.

"Stay in the water," I commanded the _Drillsons_, half whispering. "Concentrate fire on the _Scarabus_. Watch out for its TAG; enemy artillery unit might have been waiting. Kill it fast. I will take care of the _Assassin_."

Most Clans despised sniping, and Wolf was not an exception. I was sure I was never trained in this art. So when I lined up my crosshair to Alison's chest, I did not expect a miracle. If I could just stun her for half a minute, I would have enough time to quickly close the gap and score a second hit. As Alison stopped at the river bank, I lined up squarely against her center torso and fired my Gauss.

Fortunately, my hit was strong enough to push her back and topple her mech.

"Now! Kill the _Scarabus!_" I yelled as I throttled up to maximum. Alison's lance mates lurched in confusion. The _Jenners_ quickly lined up their guns at me and started drilling my armor. But I ignored their attack. I had to subdue Alison as quickly as possible. Without her, the rest would be easy to round up.

From the corner of my eyes I noticed brilliant flashes and missiles swarmed the _Scarabus_, so I kept my gun aimed at Alison. A grotesque crack gapped on her right shoulder, spilling coolant like blood. Before Alison could stabilize herself, I slammed home another Gauss round. At 450 meters, this round proved fatal. Fireballs ripped her right shoulder from inside, breaching one-third of her upper body. The _Assassin_ gyrated out of control, before the internal flame grilled the magazine for the missile launchers. The torso bloated and burst, spewing burning titanium to every direction.

Loosing Alison in quick succession turned the other mechs groggy. The _Jenner's_ attack became uncoordinated, switching between my _Hollander_ and the _Drillsons_ back and forth. The _Scarabus_, heavily pressed, whipped its lasers like a maniac. But the speed of the hover tanks negated the inaccurate marksmanship, and the lasers gained nothing but heat. Soon, the _Scarabus_ overheated. The ex Kuritans, proving once again that they were the most valuable assets in the Cavaliers, romped the _Scarabus_ while plowing its torso with calculated shots. Fire belched from each salvo, and before long the _Scarabus_ turned into a walking inferno. The pilot chose to eject.

"Exit your mech! Now!" I turned my guns at one of the _Jenners_. "Exit or die!"

The _Jenners_ were still pristine and should be able to deal a lot of damage to us, but my blitzkrieg had destroyed their morale. They gave up fighting, thinking that they would actually die if they did not surrender. I started to believe that going after Kyle was a mistake. If this were real combat, they would have been dead before they fired their first shots. And I would have been dead trying to save them.

"That is how you fight," I dared myself to patronize the ex-Kuritans. "In the battlefield, speed is life. If you move faster than your enemy can shoot, you will come out the victor on every single engagement."

"You're a freak!" Shinoyama stated, half quipping. "Who fights at this rate?"

"You will," I felt my ears throbbing with rage. "You will... in time. Now rally to me. Keep in passive."

My heartbeat drummed in my ears as I seesawed in full speed. The next lance should have long range weapons, and I had to neutralize their weapons by fighting close range. Right now I did not know where they were, but naturally a fire support lance would take the highest point possible to give them view and access, so I had a feeling that they would go for the hills.

Before I reached the hill, my alarm screamed proximity alert. Torrential missiles rained down on me. The fire lance should not have a hard lock on me, so they strafed me with their missiles. It worked at some point. Two missiles exploded on my leg, almost threw me over. Two more raked my torso, threatening my oversized Gauss rifle. Some other fell on the _Drillsons_, throwing off their courses. Smoke started trickling out of their hover beds.

Zooming in several times, I spotted the missile boats on the hill: two _Catapults_ and two _Crusaders_. Smart choice, but I was not about to be outsmarted. Missile boats were vulnerable to ammo shortage. That was my window to beat them. The question was how I could squeeze them dry. The answer presented itself when I spotted another lance, two _Bushwackers_ and two _Uziels_, making a sprint toward me.

"Turn! Take on the medium lance at point blank!" I commanded, bringing my _Hollander_ to make a tight turn to the right.

"You're nuts! They'll chew us up!" Kikuchi bemoaned, hesitating in his maneuver.

"Their PPCs will be useless and the _Bushwacker's_ turn rate is slower than your _Drillsons_," I reasoned. "Keep moving and you will be fine."

The missile rain poured again, and the _Uziels_ started barking their PPCs. I kept running in saw-tooth pattern, but the weapon downpour started to single me out. Five or six missiles peppered my left torso, almost knocking me down. Two PPC bolts came really close to blasting my Gauss gun, and the _Bushwacker's_ large lasers started carving molten wells on my torso. Losing so many tons of armor made it hard for me to run straight.

However, the _Drillsons_ were temporarily given little to worry about, and that was my exit solution.

"Attack my target!" I said, lining up my crosshair to one of the _Bushwackers_. I still ran passive radar, so as soon as it lined up with the _Bushwacker's_ torso, I hit the trigger. The nickel-ferrous ball flew high and grazed the 55-tonner on the right torso. Pieces of armor geysered into the air as the _Bushwacker_ tilted and twisted, shaking its torso vigorously. "Now!"

The _Drillsons_ took my cue and peppered the wound with lasers. They were sloppy at first, but once they got within comfortable range, their marksmanship quickly turned the _Bushwacker_ into a punching bag. Lasers and missiles laid waste to various body parts, stripping armor and boring deeper into the internal structure. Every time the _Bushwacker_ had a hard lock on a _Drillson_, the other ones slammed home a good salvo, giving a chance for the locked hover tank to slip away.

I was not a fan of gang-up tactic, but I had to admit I liked the way the ex-Kuritans worked. They knew what they were doing, and they used their strength wisely. The _Bushwacker_ fired all guns: autocannon, laser, and missiles, but none of them proved effective to stop the _Drillsons_. Soon its right leg burnt and wobbled, and the Kuritans zeroed in on it. No less than twenty missiles and five laser shots crunched the leg, turning it into a myomer bonfire. Three consecutive blasts breached the leg, and the _Bushwacker_ crashed like a timber log.

Fighting at point blank range, I noticed that the missile boats had stopped firing. I was within 100 meters from the _Uziels_ and the remaining _Bushwacker_, using them as an umbrella against the missile rain. My Gauss rifle was not designed to function at such close range, but so were the PPCs. The only effective weapon was the AC10, and as long as the _Drillsons_ kept the _Bushwacker_ busy, I could handle the two _Uziels_.

One _Uziel_ leapt backward, trying to gain a stretch to make its PPCs effective, but I paced my mech to close the gap. The _Uziel_ fired in desperation, smiting the ground with its monstrous particle cannons. I felt the ground shaking, but it did not affect my mech at all. Again, the _Uziel_ fired its SRM6, but I ducked and weaved, letting the rushed missiles flew several inches above my cockpit. Touching down the ground, its machine guns blasted, but I could snub the puny weapons. I heaved my long gun and, at 50 meters, ripped the _Uziel's_ torso.

The impact was not satisfactory. The Gauss ball had not reach optimum speed to do critical damage, but it pulled a crack on the _Uziel's_ center torso, just under the cockpit. The 50-tonner keeled over, taking several steps to maintain balance. I wished I had another thing to throw at the reeling _Uziel_, but I thought I would deal with the other one.

I turned around and looked directly at two gaping holes staring at me at 250 meters. I knew I could not escape it, so I twisted right to minimize damage. The holes flashed, and my cockpit was enveloped by azure light. Seconds later my left torso screamed, spitting armor and tongues of fire. I felt my body shifted to the right, but I yanked my joystick hard to the left. Before I gained full control, my console screeched. Half a dozen missiles blasted my left torso, destroying everything. Half of my torso turned into a burning cadaver.

However, my Gauss rifle was still intact. I twisted left and hurled my ballistic at the elbow. The right particle cannon flew into the air, and the stump where the gun hung before went alive with sparks. The _Uziel_ staggered hard, trying to cope with the sudden loss of mass. Its legs wobbled to support the unbalanced body, and I took the opportunity to slip away from its killing field.

And suddenly, everything turned dark.

I thought the simulator malfunctioned, but when I climbed out of the chamber, I was greeted by nasty looks from Alison, Kangpae, and other Cavaliers that obviously begrudged getting killed in the simulator. Evee stood at the back, giving me a mix of sympathy and worried look as if the disappointed Cavaliers would lynch me alive.

"What the hell was that?" Kangpae roared. "I thought we were exercising."

"It was an exercise," I defended my action. "Had it been real, you would have been dead."

"Of course we're all dead," Alison snarled. "You took the best men for your team!"

"You overwhelmed us 3-to-1," I retorted. "You had the advantage in number, weapons, and tonnage. Yet you did not use it. You were beaten because your method was a rehash of old campaigns. Do you want to win battles? Think, do not just use your instinct or textbooks."

"It's easy for you!" somebody from the back spat. "You're a Clanner!"

"Hey, sore loser!" Shinoyama came to my defense. "Wanna switch? How about you in a _Drillson_ and I'm in your mech, see if you can make a difference!"

"Oh shut up!" Kangpae yelled. "You'll be dead without him!"

"Alright, stop!" Evee jumped in. "Everybody takes five. I will deal with this."

"Eev, this is not right," Alison grumbled. "We have to..."

"I said..." Evee scowled, "... I will deal with this. Have some rest. You've got enough for today."

As the Cavaliers dismissed with grouses, Evee turned to me. I understood her position. I put her in a difficult situation between me and her subordinates, and I knew it was hard for her to take sides. But this was not a matter of right or wrong. This was a matter of survival.

"We have talked about this," I said before she had a chance to say anything. "We are doing it only when the Cavaliers are ready. They are not. You see it yourself, they are raw and underdeveloped. You may think I push them too hard, but I do it because I want to bring them home alive. Battlefield is no playground, especially against the Word of Blake."

"Parker, they're not you," Evee sighed, emphasizing her burden. "They're humans. They're raw, tender, and get frustrated easily. You are not doing them any good. You make them feel bad about themselves. Look at them!" she pointed at some Cavaliers who was still around, scratching their heads with long faces. "You're breaking their morale. I don't think they can keep up with your pace."

"If I do not do this," I argued, "the Word of Blake will. It's better me than them."

"I'm not questioning that," Evee accentuated each word. "You have to understand that you're training warriors that have been dormant for 4 years. It will take time to build up their skill. Give them some space, and I guarantee that they will follow you wherever you go."

Perhaps I overlooked the 'humans have feelings' side of the Cavaliers. I treated them the way I treated myself: by pushing me to the brink of insanity. I did not recount the fact that they were different than me. This process would definitely take longer than I projected. But I did not see if I had a choice.

"Then what should I do?" I mused. "I just want them to be ready."

"Perhaps they're not ready to be with you in the battlefield," Evee pondered. "You did a good job supervising them during MacGregor-Stewart conflict. Let's start with that. Let them build their confidence. Then, as they mount up skill and bravado, maybe you can show them your fancy Clan moves. They'll be more receptive by then."

_Freeborns_. How beguiled I was by them!

* * *


	3. Chapter 2

**TWO**

**Note:** Welcome back **Texray1**! It's been a long time since I heard from you (2 years?) Glad you still enjoy it.

I'm back in the US. Tired, worn out, but in one piece altogether. Lucky for me I wasn't caught in the massive Delta ground-out fiasco. I can't imagine travelling 12,000 miles across the globe only to be stuck 500 miles away from home. And Changi Airport is the best airport in the world!

Thank you for sticking up with me despite the long updates. Per Rica's suggestion, I put in the TO&E for the Cavaliers for your reading pleasure. I feel awkward to put this in a 1st-POV narrative, but I think it's important to make it clear the strength of the unit. And there's a "thanks" for **FraserMage**, the one-time record holder for fastest review ever.

* * *

_**Jumpship Paladin,  
**__**Grumium, Free Rasalhague Republic,  
**__**April 15, 3073**_

The Ridinghood Cavaliers had come a long way since Evee, Alison, and Kangpae started it, and now it was a mixed battalion. Following Evee's advice – in fact, more like guidance than advice – I managed to bring the Cavaliers halfway where I wanted them to be. They had abandoned their traditional mindset and started using speed and dexterity as their primary weapons. I read the TO&E and by their steep learning curve, I had high hope for them, if they continued to follow my lead.

1st Battlemech Company  
Regular/Reliable  
CO: Parker Kerensky  
XO: Kangpae

Command Lance: _Gladiator, _MAD-5S _Marauder, _WHM-7M _Warhammer, _ARC-4M _Archer  
_Fire Lance: AGS- 2D _Argus_, 2 BSW-X1 _Bushwacker, _CRB-C _Crab  
_Scout Lance: RVN-4L _Raven,_ WSP-3M _Wasp_, 2COM-5S _Commando_

2nd Battlemech Company  
Regular/Reliable  
CO: Evee Ridinghood  
XO: Alison

Command Lance: LGB-7Q _Longbow_, 2 AWS-9M _Awesome_, MDG-1A _Rakshasa  
_Fire Lance: 2 CPLT-C1 _Catapult_, 2 CRD-5M _Crusaders  
_Scout Lance: ASN-23 _Assassin, _2 JR7-K Jenners, LCT-1L _Locust _

Armor Company

1st Lance: 4 _Drillson_ (CO: Kikuchi)  
2nd Lance: 4 _Drillson_ (CO: Shinoyama)  
3rd Lance: 4 _Drillson_ (CO: Yamada)

Naval Asset

Invader-Class Jumpship _Paladin  
_CO: Captain Fraser "The Mage"  
3 Union-Class Dropships

Of course, the learning process was not smooth. Alison was the hardest one to convert to my fighting style. Her Lyran background relied on the bore of her guns to win battles. Luckily, she developed a deep bond with Evee, so she was willing to sacrifice her ideology in favor of her relationship.

Kangpae was not as obstinate as Alison, although he had some quirks that could be the death of him during prolonged engagement. He liked quick, brutal, eyeball-to-eyeball engagements. I knew that concept. Solaris' warfare was toxic to real-time military strategies. In fact, it took me some time to adjust to real battlefield after mingling for 4 years at Solaris.

The ex Kuritans had never been a problem to me. Draconis Combine's doctrine of warfare was the closest replica of Clan's counterpart. Their attitude toward me, however, was a different matter. Shinoyama used to be the most hostile toward me, but for some reasons known to himself, he became the nicest among the three. I never cared to know why, as long as he carried my order in the battlefield. Kikuchi seemed to be the most advanced among them. I grew respect toward him everytime I saw his professionalism. And Yamada... Yamada was a black box to me.

"He hardly says things," I complained to Evee. "In fact, I feel that he was avoiding me. He carries my order well, but I catch a glimpse of unspoken enmity through his eyes. I never know the reason behind it. It will be easier for me if he just confronts me the way Shinoyama did."

"So you can beat his ass too?" Evee chuckled. "Yamada is a recluse. Nobody knows what's going on with him, even Kikuchi and Shinoyama. You have to remember that those guys lost a lot of comrades fighting Clanners. Yamada might've still been carrying that wound. Just give him his peace and leave him alone."

"First of all, I did not beat up Shinoyama because he confronted me," I defended myself. "I beat him up because he verbally attacked you. I never have a problem with him hating me. I would not have a problem with Yamada hating me either, if he could've been more open."

"Could've?" Evee suddenly beamed, seemingly out of place.

"Could have, yes," I reiterated my point, but was turned off by her reaction. "What? Is that funny?"

"No, no, you're right," she cleared her throat and fixed her posture. "But it's the way he is. You can't expect him to exuberate, just like you can't expect Shinoyama to shut up. Is it somehow affecting his performance in the battlefield?"

"No, he is an excellent subordinate."

"Then let him be himself. It's the way he deals with everything. You can't change that."

Perhaps it was the nurture of a mother that I missed. I just could not be as understanding as Evee in dealing with the Cavaliers. I looked at her face, drowning myself in the serenity that she offered in abundance. She was a mother without children. She knew she might never have children of her own, so she gave her maternal instinct to her comrades in arms. I wonder if I ever could bring the Cavaliers up to speed without Evee on my side.

Out of sudden, the alarm bulbs flashed in fury. Siren ripped the calm afternoon, and the sheer volume almost ruptured my eardrums, or so I thought. A garbled message roared shortly afterwards, too unintelligible to be understood, but I got the message nonetheless: jumpship _Paladin_ was under attack.

I shot up and ran through the corridor, Evee two steps behind me. I had to elbow my way through shipmates and technicians at points. The ship began to groan, and I could sense intermittent tremors hitting the floor. Then a massive quake rattled the ship. I was thrown from wall to wall like a rag doll. Half of the neon lights went dead, and the frenetic crowd ran me over, busting my ribs and chest. I turned and pinned Evee to the wall until the crowd passed. Weathering torrential elbows in the dark was painful, but half of the sting evaporated seeing Evee was unharmed.

"To the cargo bay!" Evee tugged my arm. She opened her personal comlink, screaming while running on the tight passage, "Cavaliers, get into the dropships! Now!"

Smoke and steam had filled the cargo bay. Sparks showered from the ceiling like waterfalls, and occasional tremors shook the floor. Mechwarriors and technicians ran about little girls looking for their mothers, stomping on battlemech parts and tools that cluttered the ground. Alison, Shinoyama, Kangpae, Kikuchi and Yamada tried to restore order, barking at their men with little effect.

"Captain Fraser, brief me!" I demanded report from _Paladin's_ captain through my personal comlink.

"A squadron of Blakist's _Hellcats_ is hammering us," the good captain responded. "We already lost two engines, and we won't stay afloat long."

"How far are we from Grumium?" I stripped to don my cooling vest.

"Too far to make drop off. But I'd take that. I'll give you three minutes to board the dropships, then I'll throw everything overboard."

"Three minutes," I gave my signal to Evee. "Take care of yourself, Captain."

"Three minutes, people!" Evee roared. "I want everybody on the dropships in three minutes!"

Three minutes were barely enough to put a battalion of war machines into the dropships. But the leaders did a marvelous job ordering people around. By the time the clock hit three-minute period, I was the only one that was still out. As the dropship's door slid down, I paced my _Gladiator_ into its bay.

"This is _Paladin_, it's been an honor to serve the Cavaliers," Captain Fraser spoke through general frequency. "Disengaging dropships in three... two... one... Good luck, people. Send them all to hell."

The dropship shook, either from atmospheric entry or from the attacker. This was the moment when my vulnerability dominated my fate. I hated it when my life depended on somebody else's, and I knew I spoke for all mechwarriors. Inside a dropship, my skill and my weapons would not save me. If the dropship died, I died.

I thought this attack was a bit absurd. Grumium was too close to Wolf Occupation Zone. Wolf Clan was too honorable to attack a jumpship without warning, especially the Crusaders. Pirates would not thrive here. So who attacked _Paladin_? Word of Blake? If there were Word of Blake stronghold at Grumium, the Wolves would pour their military might at them. What in the devil's might prompted them to pick a fight with another faction while their hands were full with the Wolves?

But then, understanding was a waste of time. What they did to Tharkad, Outreach, New Avalon and many other worlds was not a noble paradigm. I would be glad if I could get out of this dropship and deliver a pounding to them, because out there in the field, I was immortal.

The trembling ended in a vigorous thud, and I knew I was aground. The bay door opened, and I was just about to bust out when two rounds of Gauss flew right above my head, blasting the coolant tank. Fire belched from the impact, engulfing half of the mechs that were still stranded inside the dropship's belly. The interior turned into an inferno. Several more Gauss rounds chastised the dropship's armor, raining ferro-fibrous bits.

"Find the snipers and take them out!" I screamed while bringing my mech outside.

"They are beyond radar range, Sir!" the dropship's pilot croaked in panic. "That's Light Gauss they're hitting! They must have gone visual because we're not reading anything!"

Light Gauss, yes. This place should be littered with _Vanquishers_. The Blakists would use them as snipers while their heavier mechs barricaded their big bruisers, holding off incoming mechs that tried to take them out. They targeted the dropships so the troops were stranded. Or, if they were lucky, the dropship would blow up, taking everything inside.

"Out! Out of the dropships!" my voice echoed in the cramped cockpit. "They are taking out the dropships! Command lance, line abreast and follow me! Eev, take everybody out quickly and send the dropships off! I'm going after the snipers!"

I was lucky I was the first one to come out. The blasted coolant tank spread flaming liquid on everything, including battlemechs. Evee tottered on her heels, struggling to tread on the ramp as fire raged on her _Longbow_. My command lance followed suit, but fire had hampered their vigor. The _Warhammer_ limped through the raging fire, and I did not think the _Marauder_ had much use in such intense heat level. Only the _Archer_ could match my dash, if the pilot could shake off the initial attack by the Word of Blake.

Light Gauss rounds filled the air, flogging the dropships from every direction. My dropship fired all guns in desperations, but it was vain. Soon the armor gave in and smoke billowed from the left side. Internal fire worsened the condition, and battlemechs that came out late could do nothing but shutting down as soon as it touched the ground.

"Move it!" I throttled up to maximum, bringing my _Gladiator_ sprinting in the light forest. I traced back the Light Gauss rounds, and one originated from thick greenery about a kilometer on my right. I dove into the jungle, and as a suspected, two _White Flames_ cold-started and moved in to intercept me. Half a kilometer on my right a _Grand Crusader_ geared up to cut my path.

The hound-like mechs started firing, but the trees cut their laser short. Tree logs burst into flames in front of me, and the two quadruped mechs split, trapping me in a crossfire. It was a textbook tactic. I turned right toward one of the _White Flames_. The forest turned into a bonfire, then some laser shots hammered my mech. I saw metal droplets sprayed from my torso. The cockpit groaned, but I gripped the joystick hard, battling the loss of mass while keeping my crosshair squarely against the fire.

As the _White Flame_ burst out of the flame, I hit alpha strike. My laser cored the left shoulder of the metal hound, turning it glowing in orange hue. My scattershot shells arrived a split-second later, nagging the softened armor. A geyser of smelting scattered in the air. The metal hound was taken aback, leaning on its left hinds as the right ones clawed the air.

The other _White Flame_ arrived and scored two laser hits on my left torso. The energy blades cut through several layers of armor plating and carved a deep hole. The excess metal dripped like blood, and the sudden imbalance forced my mech to tilt to the right. It took a lot of me to turn my mech back up again, and at this time, the _Grand Crusader_ had closed in on me within 350 meters. It was still concealed by trees, but if it joined the fray, I would be in deep trouble.

"Command lance! Drag your lazy ass down here!" I screeched in frustration.

"We are right behind you," my _Archer_ replied.

"Hit that _Grand Crusader_ on my two, full force! I will take care of the _White Flames_!"

"Copy that," the _Marauder_ and _Warhammer_ replied in unison. Their PPC streaks cleared up the way to the _Grand Crusader_, and the _Archer_'s missile screamed silently through the cleared passage. The _Grand Crusader's_ leg wobbled as the missiles chewed its left side. They were too weak to do critical damage, but the mini explosions stamped scars on its right torso. The stout mech turned toward the new threats, but the _Marauder_ and _Warhammer_ fired off their particle cannons, using the scars on the right torso as their bullseye. The 80-tonner twisted and swayed like a chopped log, flinging its arms left and right to keep balance. Smoke twirled from its right torso.

Although it was quite a spectacle, my hands were full at the moment. The two _White Flames_ had started flogging my armor from every direction. My armor tracker turned orange. I shot my lasers at a _White Flame_, then twisted hard and pivoted to face the other. It was the one with a gaping hole on its left shoulder. I fired my left LBX-20, then my right a second later, both at the same crack. Spark burst as my shots bored through the myomer on its shoulder.

The beast jerked sideways, but losing one leg did not seem to bother it. A gauntlet of laser bursts hit me on my right arm. Then the other one did the same to my left arm, trying to strip me from my LBX cannons. Lucky for me they did not have big guns. My armor tracker quickly turned yellow – then orange – within ten seconds. I sprinted in saw-tooth pattern, but the metal hounds kept on my tail, firing their pulse lasers madly.

Alas, repeated laser shots finally took a toll on their heat level. Steaming, the _White Flame_ pair sailed off to safety. I did not waste this opportunity. I tracked the damaged _White Flame_ and unleashed everything I had at its damaged torso. The _White Flame_ cringed, dodging one laser shot and half of the scattershot shells. But what connected drew maximum damage possible. Three internal explosions severed the left front leg from the body. The metal hound lurched forward, straining all myomers to prevent from falling flat-faced.

The other _White Flame_ risked shutdown and hit alpha strike, half of which maimed my right torso. I lost significant amount of armor on that area, and the armor tracker turned bright red. I turned right, weathering another wave of lasers using my left arm, then made a short dash toward the 70-tonner. It strolled clumsily, hindered by the heat.

I turned to its broad side and at 150 meters fired alpha strike. My heat level spiked past comfort temperature, and I started to lose control of my consciousness. However, my shot pushed the _White Flame_ to the tip of its feet. Two legs flailing in the air, it squirmed to regain balance. But three blue particle streaks sailed past me and smashed its hull, right where I hit a second ago. The PPC hits pushed it over, and the metal beast fell onto its right side.

"_Grand Crusader_ has been disposed, Sir," I heard the _Warhammer_ pilot chattered. "I thought we'll give you a hand."

That certainly gave me an advantage. I gave him a hand signal, then continued my interrupted quest, leaving the two wounded _White Flames_ at the mercy of my command lance. My _Gladiator_ could sustain a lot more punishment, but I did not know how many _Vanquishers_ there are. And I didn't expect these three mechs to be the only Blakist's welcoming party.

And then, my conjecture turned to nightmare. One by one heat signatures popped up on my radar, reading as VQR-2A _Vanquishers_ on my database. They turned their radar off and relied on visual contact to hit the dropships from long range. Of course, the size of the dropships made it easy for the Blakists to execute their subterfuge. But it turned out the _Vanquishers_ were not the only Blakists around. Two TYM-1A _Toyama_ started up on my left, while two _Vanquishers_ broke formation and clipped me from my right.

"I found the _Vanquishers_," I radioed my comrades. "First Company, disengage and rally to me! Eev, bring your mechs to weapon range! I will patch you the coordinates."

"Can't do it, Chief!" Kangpae's reply came in like a hammer. "Half of 1st Company are still overheating."

"We need more time," Evee added. "The Blakes are chewing up my men!"

The _Toyama's_ laser blasts started zipping left and right, while the _Vanquisher's_ Light Gauss rounds, though still inaccurate, had prompted me to get nervous. Zigzagging, I coarsely croaked, "Dropship commands, blast off immediately! I can't shake the Blakists!"

Two dropships immediately took off in pillars of smoke, but the _Vanquishers_ concentrated fire on the closest _Union_-class dropship. No less than eight Light Gauss rounds sank into the dropship's engines. Each impact pumped out sparks and burning splinters. The dropship held its own, but four more blasts to the same spot proved to be too much. The engine roared in blinding explosion. The mushroom-like dropship tilted and fell back to the ground, ending its misery in a massive fireball. The ground shook hard, recapitulating the vain struggle for freedom.

With only my command lance as my backup, I did not know how I could relieve the pressure. I could get past the _Toyamas_ and _Vanquishers_, but I did not know how to stop the other _Vanquishers_ before I lost the remaining dropship. I needed a lot more guns to bring down the hundred-ton _Vanquishers_.

That was when I intercepted a radio transmission, "_Bravo One, this is Bravo Three. I have visual contact with a Word of Blake force. Shall I check it out?_"

"_Neg, Bravo Three, it may be a trap. Hold your position until Bravo Trinary catch up._"

* * *


	4. Chapter 3

**THREE**

**Note: **I have opened a **Deviant Art** account and put up sketches of Parker, Evee, _Red Baron_, and some other sketches from various fanfics. I have also put the pdf version of **IK1** and **IK2** on the same account. There is no significant differences between ff version and pdf version, except corrected typos and additional illustration. Yes, that means pictures! You can access all those files by clicking the homepage link on my ff account. I hope you have fun with them.

* * *

_**Grumium, Free Rasalhague Republic,  
**__**April 15, 3073**_

I recognized that lingo. The fact that I could still pick up transmission from other Clan units surprised me only for a little while. All these years my mech had never been tuned up completely. It could still pick up frequencies of its legacy. This Bravo Trinary must have been Wolf Clan.

However, this Wolf unit was most likely the Crusader faction. Their assistance would be extremely valuable, but they were not likely to lend their hands, especially for a Spheroid unit that they were not familiar with. The simplest trick for any Clanners was to make them believe that helping us gave them honor. But how could I convince them? What would make them think that helping us benefited them?

Vengeance, for once.

"Eev, can you hear me?" I switched to private frequency. "Pull up database of worlds that have been hit by World of Blake."

"What? Now?" the shrill of Evee's voice rattled my eardrums.

"I do not have time to explain. Patch me the info ASAP."

The _Toyamas_ broke formation and fired their lasers in a two-pronged assault. Two strands landed on my center torso. The acrid smell of burning ferro-fibrous seeped into the cockpit. My mech still had enough tonnage to not be bothered by the loss of a ton of armor, but I had lost more than half the armor on the front. These Blakists were regulars; they knew their mechs well.

The Blakists fired their lasers a couple more rounds, wiping out the thickets between me and them. A familiar crack boomed, and my reflex brought my mech careening to its right. Jagged-edged pellets flashed above my heads; some shamelessly blasted into the side of my _Gladiator's_ head. A loud clang reverberated in the cockpit. The other _Toyama_ mimicked its kin, firing its LBX-10 cannon from 500 meters. I drove my joystick to the left, but the scattershot shells slugged my right arm. My right hand twisted, and black smoke started to twirl from the upper arm.

I lined up my crosshair but noticed my _Marauder_ and _Archer_ lance mates had positioned themselves for a good snipe. The Blakists had not recognized their presence; they were too busy killing me. I coerced my mech to a sprint and swung to the other direction, forcing the _Toyamas_ to turn their backs at my lance mates. My twin ER large lasers blitzed, gouging a _Toyama's_ right torso. I saw the glow of superheated metal.

Taking the cue from my last marksmanship, the _Marauder_ fired at the _Toyama_. The particle bolts ravaged the right torso from the back, clobbering the thin armor and shorting the firing circuitry. The _Toyama_ tottered and lurched forward. Before it could get back on its feet, the _Marauder's_ Gauss rifle bark, strafing the wound from the PPC blasts. As the _Toyama_ staggered, the _Archer_ finished up with its missiles. Half of the warheads ripped the internal structure and torched the missile stack that had never been fired yet. The missiles erupted in one huge fireball, disintegrating the entire right torso and the twin large lasers that were attached to it.

I realigned my crosshair at the mutilated _Toyama_, but suddenly three Gauss slugs breached my right arm. Warning sign roared as the nickel-ferrous balls sheared my arm off right above the elbow. My right LBX cannon spun in the air before crashing into a tree, splitting the trunk in two. My mech almost toppled to the left, but I bent its knee to gain more support. The feedback signal on my neurohelmet made my head throb in pain.

"Chief! You OK?" my lance mates quacked.

"I am fine! Disengage the _Toyamas_ and attack the _Vanquishers!_"

The _Marauder_ quickly fired its long-range arsenal at the closest _Vanquisher_. The triple shots converged on its left torso, forcing it to twist left. The _Warhammer_, coming a little behind, followed up with its own PPCs. One of the bolts shredded the armor of the _Vanquisher's_ left arm. Droplets of molten armor sprayed and rained down over a wide area. The _Archer_ chose to pepper the other _Vanquisher_. Multiple warheads rose up to the sky and fell on the 100-tonner monster. Small fireballs blossomed upon impact, not enough to hurt the behemoth, but enough to pull off some cracks on the armor.

The _Vanquishers_ shook off the attack and quickly targeted the _Marauder_, the second heaviest mech in my lance. Light Gauss shells zipped in the air, two of which flogged the _Marauder's_ right leg. The heavy mech careened amidst splinters that geysered from its leg. Myomer bundles dangled from a grotesque crater on the leg. The impact halted the _Marauder_ on its track.

I would help out my lance mates but my hands were full. The healthy _Toyama_ fired its missiles while the mutilated limped toward me. I swerved left, exposing the stump of my right arm to block the missiles. The impact almost sent me reeling, but I hung tough. I could not afford to fall.

As the missile rain withered, the torso-less _Toyama_ had reached firing range for its triple medium lasers. Fortunately for me, the same went for my LBX. So I turned left once again, weathering the LBX-10 and triple medium lasers the _Toyama_ threw at me. Molten armor blended with coolant, dripping like blood. The armor tracker turned blinking red, and I knew I could not sustain anymore shot at my right torso. As the _Toyama_ reloaded, I hoisted my surviving LBX cannon and hurled my munitions.

At 300 meters, my LBX shots hammered the _Toyama_ right in the center. A mix of coolant and titanium splinters burst into the air, followed by tongues of fire as tall as the _Toyama_ itself. The heavy mech jerked behind, backpedaling on its heels, flinging its remaining arm in a wild fashion. I sprinted to its right and sank my lasers at the flaming torso. My beam javelins cleaved the reactor's casing. Blue sparks spewed from the core, seconds before the heavy mech disintegrated in brilliant flares.

"Parker, they hit Tamar!" Evee came back with the exact information I needed. "The Word of Blake hit Tamar! That's why they're here at Grumium! This is their damn base camp!"

_Tamar_. The capital of Wolf Occupation Zone. I could not believe that the Word of Blake had taken their pilgrimage to Clan worlds. How strong did they think they were? Did they seriously think that their deceptions and illegal weaponries would work against children of Kerensky? The Clans were different societies than Inner Sphere states. But overconfidence might be the advent of their fall. In fact, it was the advent of many great warriors' fall, including the Clans. Perhaps Tamar would be their Pearl Harbor.

I did not know who, where, and how strong Bravo Trinary was. If I played this right, I could trap the Blakists between Cavaliers and Bravo Trinary. However, I still have a _Toyama_ to deal with before I could coordinate my attack with Bravo Trinary.

The other _Toyama_ was virtually untouched by weaponries. It fired everything it had; ballistics and high-energy bursts blended into one blurry stream. I pushed my mech to the limit, leaning forward to gain extra inch to dodge the attack. But half of the missiles slammed into my left shoulder. I hit my head on the command couch. The reverse momentum brought my mech off balance, and this time I could not compensate in time. My _Gladiator_ fell to its knees, and the impact brought my head slamming into the console.

It took me some time to regain full consciousness, but fortunately the _Toyama_ did not have anything to throw. The alpha strike had drawn most of its energy, and the precious seconds of reloading gave me a good chance to return fire. Alpha strike for alpha strike. I mashed the red button, and my weapons bellowed, turning the _Toyama's_ waist into powder. It staggered hard, leaning on one foot, spitting sparks and smoke from its waist. Its awkward movement told me that my shot had damaged its gyro.

Nevertheless, the _Toyama_ pilot had a lot of heart. It stepped back and fired its twin lasers. My heat tracker spiked to dangerous level as the lasers stung my left shoulder. Its missile launcher and LBX cannon barked in unison, and I had no choice but to bring my left LBX high, blocking the attack. The missiles tore a bad gash on my LBX cannon, and three internal explosions breached my left arm, tearing my cannon apart.

Constricted to two large lasers, I knew I had to shoot more efficiently. My heat tracker was already blinking, matching the armor tracker of my right torso. I lined up my crosshair at the _Toyama's_ damaged gyro and stabbed it with my lasers. A surge of heat slapped my face, turning my vision into a greenish hue. But I had to risk shut down. I dumped a good amount of coolant to bring the heat level several notches down. As my eyes cleared, I noticed that the _Toyama's_ waist had turned into orange jelly.

The _Toyama_ weathered my strike with dignity, but a burst of missiles nagged it from its right. Then suddenly dozens of missiles enveloped the heavy mech, ripping its skin like paper. Before it could assess the situation, multiple laser and autocannon rounds threw it off balance. A raucous blast followed suit, finishing what I could have done with my LBX cannons. The _Toyama_ expanded into fiery mist.

Out from the dark thicket was Kangpae with his new _Argus_. Smoke still twirled from his guns. I still remember the 60-ton mech that fought like an assault in the hands of the right mechwarrior. Kangpae showed everybody that he was the right mechwarrior for the _Argus_ since the Cavaliers went through an ambitious overhaul two years ago.

"Go reinforce the command lance!" I ordered. "I will disrupt the _Vanquishers_!" As Kangpae turned his mech around and rained down his missiles at a _Vanquisher_, I tapped into Bravo frequency and called out, "Bravo Trinary, Command One, this is Parker from Ridinghood Cavaliers. We are engaging a company of _Vanquishers_ escorted by Blakist heavy battlemechs. Strength is unknown, but it is possible that they are battalion size."

I could imagine that Command One was a bit surprised as he did not reply me right away. But a Clansman to the end, the pause was only a brief one. "Cavaliers? Your reputation escapes me. What is your intention at Grumium? Are you not aware that you are coming between Wolves and their preys?"

I was careful enough not to reveal my true intention to ask for assistance. The Crusader Wolves were proud warriors, and they would see me asking assistance as a sign of weakness. "The Word of Blake drew first blood. We are here to avenge our dead comrades, just as you are here to avenge Tamar."

"Cavaliers unit, disengage the Word of Blake," the voice turned stern, as if my mentioning of revenge drove their war spirit. "They are ours to kill."

"_Neg_, Command One, we fought them first," I acted tough, hoping for their respect. "But there are plenty of them to kill, and we are willing to share them with you. These dogs do not deserve honor. Come and feast on them."

"Have you not known about our culture yet, _freebirth_?" Command One replied with a glint of superiority. "We are the 13th Wolf Regulars! We are not jackals that feast on leftovers!"

"If you do not want to comply, then step aside," I sneered. "Let us avenge Tamar for you."

The last thing a Clanner wished was looked weak. My last comment must have struck a nail into his principle. His reply came hot and hard, "Very well, Cavaliers! This is Star Colonel Akela Kerensky of the 13th Wolf Regular. I will bring my Wolves to attack the Word of Blake rear flank. Watch your target, as I will instruct my mechwarriors to return every fire directed at us, including stray shots from your units."

"As I will to my mechwarriors, Star Colonel," I cut off the comlink. "See you on the battlefield."

My _Marauder_ lance mate had to take the brunt of the _Vanquisher's _firepower. Multiple Light Gauss slugs stripped its metal hide and fragmented its titanium skeleton. The antique mech shrugged its warped torso in defiance, hoisting its remaining arm, but a wave of Light Gauss shells incised the arm right below the shoulder, tossing the boxy arm to the air. Sparks and gear fluid dripped from the stump like blood, and the beast swayed to comply with the weight change.

Kangpae and his lance came to its aid, showering missiles and lasers at the _Vanquisher_, while my _Warhammer_ and _Archer_ ganged up on the other one. The warheads started to peel the _Vanquisher's_ thick hide. The Blake mech backpedaled, more scared than hurt, seeing the potential fiasco against faster mechs. For a moment, Kangpae's lance pushed the Blakists back to their ranks.

But the Word of Blake was not about to be denied. Two more _Vanquishers_ broke formation to reinforce their mates, and another demi lance arrived, consisted of two _Toyamas_ and four _White Flame_s. Suddenly we were at a very disadvantaged position. Kangpae ordered retreat before his lance got into the Blakist's killing zone, while my lance mates tried to regroup with me. But with my mech at 35-percent effective, there was not much I could do to hold position. Evee's company was still too far back to make a difference.

And then, my radar picked up several mechs coming from two different directions. They were not registered in my database, but I could tell they were the Wolves. They came in fives, a classic Clan's star formation. These new mechs quickly sweep the two outermost _Vanquishers_, throwing confusion into the Blakist's rank. A quick glimpse of the new mechs gave me an impression of a _Mad Dog_ – or _Vulture_ – but the differences were too distinct. These mechs were pudgier, stronger, and definitely deadlier than any alternate configuration of _Mad Dog_.

"Parker what is going on?" Kangpae's anxiety exploded on the comlink. "Who are these guys?"

"Friends," I replied, "13th Wolf Regulars, Crusader Wolves. Cease fire and realign your targets..."

"The Clan?" Kangpae squeaked aghast. "How did you get them?"

"There is no time for explanation," I recalibrated my lasers while moving backward. "Redirect fire to the center Blakist formation and watch your target. Do not... I repeat... do not hit the Wolves. They will turn their guns at us if you do."

The _Vanquishers_, stunned by the sudden attack, abandoned their targets and swung their long-ranged guns toward the Wolves, but the new mechs got in range and hurled their venoms at the sluggish 100-tonners. Emerald beams raced with white trails from missiles and yellow tracers of autocannon rounds. Ferro-fibrous evaporated. Myomer vaporized. Titanium melted. And the _Vanquishers_ were caught in the center of the firestorm.

Trying to relieve some pressure, the _Toyamas_ and _White Flames_ fought back. Ferro-fibrous armor sprayed in droplets, leaving pockmarks that glowed like mini volcanoes. The new mechs fought with dignity, firing their guns at the _Toyamas_ and _White Flames_ with equal ferocity. Blinding flashes zipped back and forth, coupled with rattling sound and hissing swoosh of missiles leaving their tubes.

The _Vanquishers_ had a time to regroup, but it was short-lived. Dark-blue streams illuminated the dim woods, vaporizing tree trunks and thickets before slamming into the _Vanquisher's_ torsos. Then Gauss shells fell on them like hammer blows. These were Clan Gauss, twice as heavy and four times as deadly as the Blakist's light version. Before long, limbs where thrown into the air, and another star of Wolves _Warhawks_ and _Timber Wolves_ joined the fray.

"Center fire! Center fire!" I redirected my lance mates to hit the _Vanquishers_ in the center formation. I remembered what Akela Kerensky said about stray shots. My lasers harassed the _Vanquisher_ on the center, creating a flashing blotch on the Blakist's chest. My lance mates used it as a bullseye. No less than five laser blasts and twenty missiles scourged the torso. Thick oily smoke billowed from the wound, and the _Vanquisher_ tottered behind, riding the shockwave from the concentrated fire. My _Warhammer_ lance mate delivered the coup de grace, firing its PPC straight into the wound. Three internal explosions turned the mech's torso into titanium mess. The hundred-tonner staggered vainly, then slumped to the ground.

I recalled that this kind of tactic – ganging up on the Blakist force – was unfavorable for the Clans, especially the Crusader factions. But the 13th Wolf Regulars carried the tactic very well. They knew that my boys were hammering the Blakist's center mass, so they rounded up the _Vanquishers_, a task that they performed with mastery using their fast mechs. The stray _Toyamas_ and _White Flames_ stood no chance against their _Warhawks_ and _Timber Wolves_.

That was why Wolf Clan proudly boasted themselves as _ilClan_, the first among the Clans, an overstatement but most of the time true, especially when compared to dull-brained Clans like Falcons or Jaguars. Wolf Clan was always ready to adapt, to change, to think its way through the battle. It was not a coincidence that Wolf Clan was the bearer of Kerensky bloodname.

This fact still put a smile on my face, albeit I never remembered my days as a Wolf.

"What on earth is going on here?" Evee finally arrived, towing her command lance. "Real Wolves?"

"They are here on their own agenda," I briefed her. "Sweep the _Vanquishers_. Leave anything else."

"Sweet!" Evee's cute chime preceded her thunderous order, "Command Lance! Light 'em up!"

The 85-ton _Longbow_ raised both arms, covered in white smoke, as dozens of missiles took flight and stabbed the _Vanquishers_ like incendiary arrows. Her _Awesomes_ sandwiched her, hitting any _Vanquisher_ that tried to take a shot at her. The combination of missiles, PPCs, and lasers from the _Rakshasa_ kept the Blakists fighting on their heels, and gave my troops a much needed rest.

When the last _Vanquisher_ fell, the Wolves had broken the Blakist's backbone. The surviving _Toyamas_ and _White Flames_ fled under heavy barrage from the _Warhawks_ and _Timber Wolves_. Only a few of them made it to the darker part of the woods. I knew they no longer posed a threat, and I thought the 13 Wolf Regulars knew it too.

"We have completed our objective," I heard Star Colonel Akela crackled on the speaker. "Do not feel you have contributed in dribs and drabs on our campaign. We were just at the right time at the right place. It is never more than that."

"Acknowledged, Star Colonel," I replied. "I look forward to working with Wolves again."

* * *


	5. Chapter 4

**FOUR**

**Note:** **Kat Wylder **took a significant part in brainstorming, writing, reviewing, and editing parts of this chapter to make it what it is. Thanks a bunch for the help.

* * *

_**Grumium, Free Rasalhague Republic,  
**__**April 15, 3073**_

When I brought my unit to fight alongside the great Wolf Clan, I thought it was just a one-time fling. I never thought that I needed them for any more than that.

"We have only one operational DropShip left," Alison reported. "The Blakists took out one, and the other was damaged beyond repair. I mean, it'll fly, but it lost 64-percent of armor. Two of the engines are moderately damaged, but like I said, it'll fly. It'll take our entire battalion back to _Paladin_in three flights. No casualties on ground units, mostly armor damage. But we have dire need of coolant. We dumped a lot of it when we tried to walk away from the fire."

"Those long range shots weren't possible without spotters," Kangpae added. "We beat their main troops, but we didn't find the spotters. I'll set up a perimeter and patrol units, in case they decide to hang out and take a peep."

"And _Paladin_?" I drew my personal commlink and contacted our mother ship. "Captain Fraser, give me situation report on the jumpship."

"_Paladin's_toast," the captain's voice came back amidst static bursts. "We're only running with two generators. The attack destroyed the KF-Drive. Jumping from this system is out of the question." He paused a moment, breathing unevenly at the receiver. "What do you want me to do, Chief?"

"Sit tight," I turned my commlink off. "I will take care of it."

I paused a while to assess the situation. Most of the damage was sustained by our naval force. We had to find a way to fix _Paladin_, repair the DropShip, and replenish coolant. Grumium might have some facilities, but being close to Wolf OZ and the recent intrusion by the Word of Blake, I doubted that there was anything enough for the Cavaliers.

"The only way we can resupply is through the Wolves," Evee stated as if she was reading my mind. "Our techs can fix _Paladin's_generator but without KF-Drive, we're stranded here at Grumium. Your 'Mech needs replacement too, and it's best to get them from the original manufacturer."

"You are aware that I will have to go through Trial of Possession in order to get supplies, are you not?" I pointed out the inevitable. "I will try to have a fistfight, but they might want it augmented. We may have to sacrifice a BattleMech to get what we need. This is not the same Clan you see at Arc-Royal. These are the Crusaders."

"Yeah," Evee exhaled heavily. Her responsibility as the commanding officer collided with her affection, but she knew we did not have a choice. "I wish there were another way." She looked at me as if weighing my chance to win a fistfight against a front line Clanner. "Be careful, you hear me? Be careful out there!"

I snagged a quick kiss on her cheek, then climbed up to the cockpit of my armless _Gladiator_. Sitting in the cockpit, once again I hacked into the Wolf's frequency and hailed Star Colonel Akela. "Thirteenth Wolf Regulars, this is Parker from Ridinghood Cavaliers. I wish to speak with Star Colonel Akela Kerensky."

"I thought we had finished our business, mercenary," the answer came quick and crisp. "What do you want?"

"My unit sustained heavy damage when fighting the Word of Blake," I went through the litany of shortages. "My JumpShip lost its KF-Drive. I also lost two dropships, and the remaining unit received moderate damage. Some of our 'Mechs, including my own, lost weapons and armor and we are in serious need of coolant. I am issuing a Trial of Possession. I bid myself against you or your finest warrior for the supplies. If I win, you will fix my JumpShip, my DropShips, and my BattleMechs. If you win, you can take an equal amount of supplies from my unit."

That was a stupid bid. I had not had quality fight in years. I would jeopardize the Cavaliers even more. But I did not see any choice. I had to get Akela's attention. His answer arrived a good twenty seconds later, short and succinct, "I see that you are well versed in our culture. Alright, Parker, bargained well and done. I will grant you _safcon_to our base camp. I expect to see you tomorrow. Let us see if you are a true warrior or just a fangless mercenary."

* * *

_**13th Wolf Regulars Base Camp,**_**  
**_**Grumium, Free Rasalhague Republic,**_**  
**_**April 16, 3073**_

I stood at the end of the Wolf's BattleMech columns, wondering if picking a fight with the finest warrior of Crusader Wolves was smart. I was a small MechWarrior compared to the 13th Regulars, who averaged a good 3-inches taller than me. Physical size was not a critical factor in a fight, but it did help, at least for psychological purposes.

Nevertheless, I was glad that I could catch up with the Wolves. Some things never changed, and some things seemed to be light-years away from my last recognition of Clan technology. I did not know if the new 'Mechs this unit fielded were exclusive to Crusader Wolves or if they could be found in the ranks of other Clans. I would not be surprised if they were widespread.

"It is the _Black Wolf._" A man with Wolf attributes caught me looking at one of the unfamiliar 'Mechs. "Sixty-five tons of engineering perfection that fights as if it has another fifteen tons. You have the privilege of being the first Spheroid to see it in action—and live to talk of it." He came by me, scanning me from head to toe, flashing a curious stare. "You are somewhat familiar. Have we met before?"

The possibilities were endless. He could have been one of my subordinates. He could have worked with me under Natasha Kerensky, although he looked too young to know the great Natasha. He could have been fighting the Jade Falcon with me, although we would have belonged to different factions for obvious reasons. And it could be my namesake he was bearing. It was too bad that I did not know if I did not recognize him, or simply did not know him. Our meeting could have been far more interesting if I did.

"Star Colonel Akela Kerensky, I presume." I looked him in the eye. "I can see why you take pride in your military hardware. I am glad to see Wolf Clan still strives to maintain its superiority."

By this time, Wolf warriors had gathered around Akela, and started to move to form a circle. They sure did not waste any time. Judging by the look on their faces, I knew they were looking forward to this fight. It could have been a while since they fought Spheroids. Some things never changed.

"This...Commander Parker of the Ridinghood Cavaliers has called for a Trial of Possession. Because these Spheroids have _assisted_us in our objective," he said, speaking as though it was the Cavaliers who played "sidekick" in the fight, "I will allow this Trial. If Parker wins, his unit will receive repairs and resupply. If he loses, we shall claim their resources instead. ...Any volunteers?"

A blonde-haired young woman moved to step forward, but a young man beat her stride and stood a good foot apart from the crowd. The woman looked from her comrade and then to her commander, with an expression of indignation. "Star Colonel..." she said in a low hiss.

"I think your _trothkin_has a little more enthusiasm for this fight, quiaff?" he replied.

"And he is half-breed!" she snapped, just loud enough for me to hear. The young man gave her an angry look, but said nothing.

"Then the match is fifty percent more even, Melli," Akela said. From the smirk on his face I could see he was tormenting the blonde a little with sarcasm. He turned to the male. "I find this acceptable. Warrior?"

The young man's eyes swept over me critically. He had fair hair and seemed to be of the MechWarrior phenotype, but was rather wiry compared to his more thickly-built comrades, and had decidedly darker skin than most of them. "I am Star Captain Sigurd of the Wolves. Let this be an un-augmented fight," he declared, staring at me intently with a wolf-like hunger for battle on his face. He glanced to the side, looking back at Akela, and then returned his gaze to me. "_Bereiten sie self fur das toten das kommt_," he growled.

"Seyla," Akela concluded. "This will be an un-augmented fight. This Trial is sacred—let no one interfere. Prepare yourselves!"

As I stripped off my outer garments, I considered my odds. This Star Captain Sigurd was in his twenties and liekly had routine fights. He was about my height, although considerably lighter in build. But what he lacked in power, he probably compensated for in speed. I had no doubt that he could move faster than me. And he was called 'half-breed' by his peer. Was he a _freeborn_? Clanfolks considered natural birth inferior to their eugenics program. To be a freeborn in a front-line Wolf Trinary told me that he could be a lethal adversary. But perhaps it was his Achilles heel. He was not as 'perfect' as _trueborns_, which was something that I could exploit during the fight.

Sigurd turned around and was immediately eye-to-eye with me. I could feel my heart jump to my throat. He came into the Circle and after a moment to size up his opposition, he launched himself at me with his boot rocketing toward my throat. I turned to the left and blocked Sigurd's foot, but the force was so great that I almost fell back. Sigurd followed up with his left hand, but I pivoted back, letting his strike swoosh a mere centimeter in front of my chin. He landed, exposing his left side toward me. I saw a small window of opportunity, and I went in for a counterattack. But the moment I cocked my arm, his elbow snapped against my temple.

I could hear the thud echo, but the impact stole half of my consciousness. The pain was vile. I found myself staggering, and that Sigurd guy pressed his attack with another kick. I retreated back several steps, putting a gap between me and the young Wolf.

Sigurd hustled to close the gap, and in quick succession, launched his attack toward my face, striking at me with his hands held flat to stab. I put my arms up to block Sigurd's attack. His fingers bored into my double-cover, not enough to touch my face, but enough to burn a slab of tendons in my arms. I cocked my right arm to punch Sigurd's face, but he was one second faster. His boot lodged into my stomach. I felt gastric fluid gurgle out. My breath left me as I crashed down to the ground, flat on my back.

Sigurd did not waste any time to revel in his work, but leapt forward and snapped another good kick into my midsection. I grimaced and hunched over, and my breath started to become intermittent. Sigurd thrust his right elbow at my face, but I managed to block it with both hands. The tip of his knuckles hovered just an inch from my throat; he began to worm his arm out of my hold, his fingers moving to choke me. I rerouted all the energy I could muster into my hands, but Sigurd's weight was too much for me. The tip of his fingers touched my neck, and I was quickly running out of ideas on how to get out from the pinning.

However, Sigurd cocked his left arm and whipped it toward my face, hoping to disable me with one blow. The sudden change in his balance gave me a scant room to writhe. His strike blasted the ground as I cringed to the right, tossing dust into the air and throwing him off of me. As Sigurd withdrew his arms to scramble off of the ground, I nicked him in the back of the knee. Sigurd grunted and took a step backward, and I kicked his left shin just below the knee, prolonging the agony. With a painful gasp Sigurd teetered backward.

I flipped backward and hauled several breaths to reacquire control over my body. As my vision cleared, Sigurd had come back to his fighting stance. His blinding speed put me on the defensive all the time, and I was forced to fight on my heels. Of course, _offense is the best defense_, and this young man knew how to use his body to press his attack. I had to find a means to carry the fight my way. Otherwise, I would only become Sigurd's punching bag.

We circled one another, weighing each other up and down. Perhaps if I could bring the fight to him, he would get intimidated. I lurched forward, and fired a hook toward Sigurd's jaw. Sigurd easily blocked my hook with his left arm, but that was what I expected. I hopped forward and elbowed Sigurd's face. Blood and sweat sprayed over a wide area. A slit was opened under Sigurd's right eye. Sigurd retaliated with left-right swings, but I ducked and crashed my heel onto Sigurd's ankle. Sigurd groaned and tottered back. I pressed my attack with three jabs onto the face, followed by a left hook that was supposed to shatter Sigurd's sense to pieces.

Unfortunately, it did not happen. As my swing flew, Sigurd recovered quicker than I thought. He caught my hand midway and twisted it to the left. I winced in pain; my biceps felt as though they were burning. I tried to hit Sigurd with my left hand, but he used my momentum to sweep his left foot into my legs. I flew for a moment, then ended up flat on my back again.

I rolled to the side quickly, away from Sigurd, and shook my head to clear my vision. My strategy went down the drain; Sigurd was too fast for my assault. Then what should I do? Perhaps a counter attack would work. It was risky since Sigurd was much faster than me, but it might be the best way to subdue him. I would not have many opportunities, so I had to make sure that every hit would take away a piece of him. Sigurd yelled and leapt forward, knowing exactly that his attack would go unblocked this time. But I didn't budge. I saw a glint of a predatory smile. When Sigurd launched his attack toward my solar plexus, I twisted to his left and sent forth a straight punch toward Sigurd's face. His eyes widened, and his arm grazed mine in an attempt to block, but it was too late. The momentum couldn't be greater. Sigurd's rush forward and my punching power combined into a head-jerking force that exploded in his face.

I smelled opportunity, so I grabbed Sigurd's arm and yanked it down. As the dazed Wolf moved forward, I head-butted him right on the nose. Once again Sigurd's head snapped backward, blood trickling from his nasal orifices. I followed with another head-butt, sending Sigurd lurching about. The young Wolf flailed his arms, trying to regain his balance but I sacked him in the gut with body shots. As Sigurd keeled over, I hammered his face. His head jerked behind while his hands flung to the side.

I cocked my arm and rocketed my fist for the second hook, but Sigurd found room to cringe. My hook flew wildly above his head. Suddenly Sigurd made an abrupt forward dash. I was caught completely by surprise, and couldn't recoil fast enough. The bulk of Sigurd's shoulder rammed my ribs while one of his hands sliced into my side, and for a moment I felt like my breath was leaving me.

Seeing that he had stalled me, Sigurd's eyes suddenly lit up with ferocity and carnage. He swung his elbow hard, but I predicted his move. I blocked Sigurd's arm right in the wrist, ignoring the pain in my biceps. In desperation, I flexed my right foot and kicked Sigurd in the ribs. Sigurd twisted and my position didn't let me unleash a good kick—just some sort of a nudge. Knowing what I was up to, Sigurd broke contact and launched a powerful snap-kick at my face. I hopped back in time, but his second assault came faster than I could anticipate. I felt warm fluid trickle down my face, but only after I found myself flat on my back.

I gasped for air, but Sigurd quickly pinned me on the ground with his knees holding my arms immobile. His left hand nailed my throat to the dirt, while his right struck my face repeatedly like a jackhammer. Each blow felt like an earthquake inside my head. My vision turned gray when Sigurd's open-fisted hand stabbed into my head. A sinister chuckle escaped Sigurd's lips as he raised his hand to finalize his thrust. I had to get out of here now.

Not knowing exactly what to do, I curled up my body, pushing Sigurd forward. Losing his momentum, Sigurd tried to redirect his punch but I quickly jabbed his face, causing him to lose control over his balance. Sigurd rolled to the side, and I set myself free.

When got up, I noticed Sigurd had taken a fighting stance, but contrary to my expectation, he did not immediately lunge at me. I noticed he was taking a short break. His breath raced and his face was flushed with anger. I did not expect him to tire this soon, but I guessed my body shots had taken a toll. Perhaps being a _freeborn_slowed him down a bit.However, I was in worse condition than him. My breaths flew faster than his, my ears were ringing, and my eyes were not completely recovered from Sigurd's rapid-fire blows. My mouth felt salty from my own blood. Where the cut was, I did not care.

"Fair effort for a _solahma_," Sigurd growled, "but you will not get out of here alive."

"Whenever you are ready," I put my hands in front of my face. "Give me your best shot."

Sigurd let out a low grunt and circled around me for a moment. As soon as he spotted his opening, he leapt for an attack. I cringed to the left just as Sigurd's arm swooshed beside me. He came back with his left elbow, but I ducked and fired a kidney punch to Sigurd's waist. That ought to slow him down. Sigurd muffled a yelp and swiveled around. My jabs kept him off balance, and I threw two more jabs to set up a crippling uppercut.

But I should have known that my uppercut was too slow for Sigurd. His hand flew and ripped me right at the bridge of my nose, knocking my arms back. It was not a particularly hard blow, but I was already punch-drunk. I felt my knees wobble, and while I regained my balance Sigurd had been waiting with his combination. I did not know what hit me. The next thing I knew, I was down on all fours, fighting for my head to clear up.

As my heart beating in my ears, I caught a glimpse of shadowy figure racing toward me. Sigurd must have tried to take advantage of the situation. That was what I would do if I were him. My eyes were obscured by blood, but I could see the shadow moving. I threw myself on the ground and kicked the shadow. I did not know what I hit, I just knew I hit something. I heard a heavy thud next to me.

As quickly as I could, I rolled away from the crash site and posed the best fighting stance I could muster. Everything was a blur to me and my fighting stance would just be superfluous. My right eye was completely shut and my left suffered heavy trauma. Without my vision, I was as defenseless as a duckling, but I just could not yield. I could not afford to lose.

However, the attack never came, and I started to wonder what happened to Sigurd. Did I knock him out? Did I hit a vital organ? Did he die? I could not tell. I did not hit Sigurd with a calculated attack. I hit him with sheer dumb luck. How damaging that was, I could not tell.

"You have crossed the Circle of Equals." I heard somebody, most likely Akela, step into the fight. "I declare that this Trial is ended."

"Ovkhan, that was a lucky shot!" another voice, apparently Sigurd's, ripped the air with a venomous rage. "One instance of sheer dumb luck cannot justify this result! _Ich habe besitz von endpunkt das hund!_I can still kill him!"

"I said, this Trial is _over_," Akela stated, his voice intensified. "I need you in able condition. Remember that we have a mission we must continue, Star Captain. Do not let this savagery interfere with your duties."

There was a tense pause. Finally, I heard Sigurd give a low growl of, "Aff, ovkhan."

"Take care of your injuries, cousin," Akela muttered to his subordinate. Then I sensed that he came over and crouched beside me. "You won the Trial according to our laws, but you did not best my Star Captain. We both know that you would be finished, had you not been saved by your luck. So, I will instruct my technicians to repair your JumpShip to nominal condition. I think it is best that you part from us, anyway. You have to deal with the rest of your problems yourself."

"Much obliged, Star Colonel," I reciprocated. "Thank you for your generosity."

"Thank yourself," Akela summarized. "What you gain, you have earned."

Whatever happened to Sigurd, I was glad that everything worked out fine. Whether it was victory or defeat, I did not care. At least the Ridinghood Cavaliers could leave Grumium and continue to Victoria. For my 'Mech and the DropShips... they just had to carry the scars of Grumium. And so did I.

* * *

Deutschlich translation:

"_Bereiten sie self fur das toten das kommt._" : "Get ready to die." (Literally, "Prepare yourself for the death that comes.")  
"_Ich habe besitz von endpunkt das hund!_" : "It is my right to kill this dog!" (Literally, "I have ownership of the termination of this dog!")


	6. Chapter 5

**FIVE**

**Note: **Thank you for the great interest in Sigurd's cameo. I kept Sigurd and friends from knowing Parker's true identitiy because I don't want to complicate the plot this early. The story is still young, my fellow readers. That being said (hint... hint...), you'll get to see more of Sigurd and friends at later chapters. So stay tuned!

For **Braasch** and **Flashpoint** and readers who wonder about Sigurd's language in the last chapter, here's a message from **Kat Wylder**: "Sigurd does NOT speak German. He speaks a dialect/language which is derived from German and English. This 'Deustlisch' is only spoken on his homeworld and it uses very strange grammar. This was not a translation error on the part of myself or **RogueBaron**. The speech is entirely intentional, as was explained in the **_Nebelung_** series."

This chapter is a sort of down chapter, but still has plenty of action. The _Werewolf_ omnimech is a Dark Age design, but the overview said it had been produced as far back as 3062. Thanks **Rica** for the information.

* * *

**_Kitalpha, Proserpina Prefecture,  
_****_Benjamin Military District, DCMS,  
_****_September 29, 3073_**

We were deep in Kuritan space. It was a little detour from our original path, but the three ex Kuritans convinced Evee that this detour was necessary. The engagement at Grumium severely depleted the Cavaliers, and Shinoyama, Kikuchi and Yamada knew where to find cheap parts. Once I questioned their claim: why would somebody make a business at a backwater planet, in the middle of nowhere, where nobody came around regularly? Eventually, I would know the answer soon enough.

The merchant, Mister Fujiwara, ran a black market business for Yakuza, one of the oldest organized crime in human history. So why he chose a backwater planet for his business started to make sense. What boggled me was how elite DCMS soldier like Shinoyama, Kikuchi, and Yamada made business acquaintance with scum like Fujiwara. Or was it the norm in Kuritan societies? Perhaps it was. Yakuza had been so integrated in Kuritan history, sometimes it was impossible to separate one from the other.

This Fujiwara, although did not seem to be interested in dealing with the Cavaliers, did listen and argue with Shinoyama in their native language. I couldn't follow their conversation, because my Japanese was limited to swear words, things that Shinoyama, Kikuchi, and Yamada would throw at each other. I did not like the fact that I had to rely on the ex Kuritans in dealing with Yakuza. But this was once their home. I didn't know the situation here; they did. I guessed if Evee was comfortable trusting the ex Kuritans, I would back her up.

"So, Ridinghood-san, you are interested in some supplies, yes?" Fujiwara croaked with his thick accent.

"Yes, Fujiwara-san, I have the list," Evee drew out a crumpled note from her pocket. "One thousand gallons of coolant, 500 tons of ferro-fibrous armor platings, 5 PPC's, cannon and missile ammunition, and two Clan LBX20 cannons with as much ammunition as you can get."

"Clan techs, yes," Fujiwara started punching numbers on his calculator. "Everybody wants them."

Yamada said something in Japanese, then the two started a heated argument. Evee and I could only look at each other. Not long after, Shinoyama and Kikuchi joined the fray, and in the end, Fujiwara nodded, although I could see that he had to swallow a great deal of resentment for that nod.

"Your friend just saved you a fortune," Fujiwara growled. "The total cost of your shopping spree is close to 4-mil, but I am willing to let go with 2.8 million c-bills. But you have to do something for me."

"We are not..."

"We're open for business," Evee cut me off. "What do you have in mind?"

"Catch me a thief," Fujiwara let loose a long breath, then opened a drawer. He pulled out a picture of a battlemech. "You probably know what it is. It's _Werewolf_, a new assault omnimech design from Warden Wolf. It's a 90-ton jumper with 47 tons of weapon load. This is the primary configuration, mounting 2 LBX-10, 2 LRM-15, and one ER medium laser, along with ECM. It costs more than 20-mil c-bills, and it's..."

"Stolen," I concluded. "If we bring your mech back, you will give us discount for the supply."

"That's the idea," Fujiwara drew the data sheet for the mech. "The Screaming Eagles mercenary unit came to Kitalpha 6 weeks ago by ISF order. There was a mole inside our ranks that leaked the information about _Werewolf_ in Kitalpha, and ISF – licking Davion's ass as always – sent that little thief Mario Cruz to steal the mech. Well, he is very good at it, but we shot down his dropship. He's been cut off from ISF and hiding ever since."

"As far as I know, _Werewolf_ is available to Wolf and Kell Hounds only," Evee stated. "How did you get it? You stole it from somebody, didn't you? And now, he wants his mech back."

"It is none of your concern, Ridinghood-san," Fujiwara replied, obviously holding back a burst of rage. "My offer stands, but not for long. How's it gonna be?"

My rectitude forbade me to help an organized crime group for our advantage. But my logic stated that we could use the discount. We could buy more stuff to replenish the Cavaliers, should long engagement at Victoria ensue. I guessed I had been astray from Wolf for far too long that I could think of doing business with Yakuza without remorse. "How strong is the Screaming Eagles?"

"With your firepower? The fight will last 3 minutes, top." Fujiwara punched in some keys in his computer to bring the data of the unit in a hologram. "It's a small mercenary unit, probably just a lance of medium to heavy mechs. Although, one of them could be using the _Werewolf_."

"You know what's funny?" Evee tuned in. "You're giving us 30-percent discount to get a 20-mil mech. We could say we couldn't find it, pay off your 4-mil, and keep the 20-mil mech for ourselves. What makes you decide to trust us?"

"Your friend says you wouldn't do that because you're a respectable leader," Fujiwara replied, referring to Yamada. "I know these 3 creeps. When they say I can trust you, then I can trust you. So do you want it or not?"

"Two-and-a-half million c-bills for the supply, and you'll get your _Werewolf_ back," Evee stated, smiling.

"Fine," Fujiwara concurred. "But I want Cruz alive."

* * *

**_Cyrrus Plain, Kitalpha,  
_****_Proserpina Prefecture,  
_****_Benjamin Military District, DCMS,  
_****_October 1, 3073_**

I did not want to waste a lot of resources on this discount mission, so I decided to bring only a lance. _Red Baron_ was not in good condition, so I took the _Warhammer_. Evee traded her _Longbow_ with the _Archer_ for additional speed. Kangpae and Alison kept their _Argus_ and _Assassin_. If Fujiwara's information was accurate, we should be able to dispose the Screaming Eagles without problem, even if one of them rode the _Werewolf_.

Looking at the specs of _Werewolf_, I'd say that it was quite impressive. It was designed for brawn, although the 3 jump jets would give the mech agility. Muscle and speed: a deadly combination for an assault. The 14.5-ton armor was enough to sustain even the vilest weapons known to man, giving the _Werewolf_ a chance to fire back, or simply to escape from overwhelming enemies. Weapon wise, it was well balanced between long and short range capability. While not exactly a _Dire Wolf_, the _Werewolf_ could be just as nasty in the hands of an experienced pilot.

The question was: Who was piloting the _Werewolf_?

But it was not important. The important thing was to get done with this mission and continue our way to Victoria. We already lost a week at Grumium, then potentially another week at Kitalpha. Kyle Garret didn't have the luxury of time as much as we did. So we had to finish up quickly or everything would be for nothing.

Running in zigzag pattern, covering as much Cyrrus Plain as possible, I kept my lance in close diamond formation. I took point, while Evee and Kangpae covered my left and right flank, separated by 400-meter gap. Alison closed the formation 200 meters behind me. Every half a click I changed direction in a jagged-edge turn. We ran our radar active as we trudged our ways toward the last known location of the Screaming Eagles.

Our battlemechs left a long trail of footprints in the dust, and we stopped at the top of a dune, firing various wavelengths at every direction. But the only thing we saw was a small oasis, 1.3 kilometers away. There were no signs of civilizations, but we did see rock formations that were suitable for hiding.

"That's where I'll be if I miss my pick-up appointment," Evee chimed, half jesting. "They might bury their battlemechs in the sand and wait to ambush. They might have killed some Yakuzas this way."

"Now that you mentioned it, Eev," Kangpae tuned in. "Why didn't the Yakuza retrieve the _Werewolf_ themselves? Are they afraid of the Screaming Eagles? Did the mercs beat them? How good is this Cruz guy?"

"There is nothing to worry about," I understood what Kangpae was deducting, and I did not want it to drop everybody's morale. "We have beaten the Word of Blake at Grumium. Surely we can beat the Screaming Eagles. Just keep your eyes open. Stay close to me and do everything I say. Let us give the oasis a visit."

Throttling up to one-third of maximum speed, I brought my _Warhammer_ trundling down the dune toward the oasis. As we began to approach the oasis, I started to see unnatural lumps of sand scattered around a small pond. Evee was right. The Screaming Eagles were ambushing the Yakuza, and now they were trying to ambush my unit.

"Eev, do you see what I see?" I throttled down my mech. "Two o'clock, 700 meters."

"Indeed," her reply came in with a glint of pride. "I told you so."

"Split up. You take Alison and go right. Kangpae, you're with me. Keep it tight."

I swung left to circle the oasis, guns hot at the center lump. I turned slightly outward, stretching my distance with the tallest lump to 820 meters. I did not know how strong they were, so it was unwise to draw first blood. But fighting ghosts was dangerous, and the quickest way to gain the advantage was to draw them into the open. I centered my crosshair on the tallest lump and fired my double PPCs.

The concentrated particles stabbed the lump like a double-edged sword, throwing sand into the air. The lump dissolved into a cloud of sand, and from behind the curtain rose the _Werewolf_, weapons at the ready. A _Catapult_ followed suit, quickly firing its missiles in a widespread direction. Two _Hellspawns_ and a _Chimera_ covered the _Catapult's_ left and right flanks, and a _Wolfhound_ sprung into the open just behind the _Werewolf_.

"Take out the _Catapult_! Now!" I hollered, ducking to avoid the _Catapult's_ missiles.

Evee, Kangpae and Alison fired their missiles in unison, showering the _Catapult_ with armor-piercing warheads. While the _Catapult's_ missiles went wide, my team's missiles hit it where it hurt the most. Evee had been firing missiles all her life, and the sophisticated fire control of the _Argus_ led Kangpae's missiles squarely toward the _Catapult's_ torso. Tongues of fire enveloped the 65 ton battlemech. Armor bits geysered into the air, and the _Catapult_ staggered hard to keep its focus on the battle.

The Screaming Eagles fought back. The _Hellspawns_ fired their own missiles, and the _Chimera_ joined forces with the _Wolfhound_, scoring laser hits at Kangpae's _Argus_. And the _Werewolf_ moved to the center to cover the _Catapult_, spitting its missiles in a wide direction. My _Warhammer_ trembled as missiles started chastising its front armor. Although fighting intensely, their shots were scattered in a wide angle, prompting me with the fact that they were unprepared to fight a unit with speed as its main arsenal.

"Move in circle and concentrate fire on the _Catapult_!" I commanded while bombarding the 65-tonner with PPC shots. One shot missed widely but the other ripped the _Catapult's_ torso wide open. Kangpae's autocannon exploited the crack, pumping metal hide and gristle into the air. Swaying uncontrollably, the _Catapult_ backpedaled, but another wave of missiles from Evee and Alison threw the big mech off balance. Smoke started to twirl from its right torso. A _Catapult_ was a hard mech to bring down, and the fact that this _Catapult_ was hurt in two salvoes told me that the Screaming Eagles might have been spreading thin in armor. Possibly, in ammunition too.

Nevertheless, the _Catapult_ showed its gallantry in a last blitz of missile rain. Kangpae's _Argus_ stopped dead in its track, weathering the impact and aftershocks of multiple explosions. The _Hellspawns_ followed the _Catapult's_ target, zeroing on in the _Argus_. Fire enveloped the bulk torso, and coolant started to seep from cracks on the hull. The _Argus_ wobbled under the assault, but would not yield.

I had fired two consecutive PPC shots, and my temperature had reached one-third of shut down level, but I could not let Kangpae take the brunt of the Eagles' firepower. I took a quick aim at the _Catapult's_ smoking gap and hit my trigger. A surge of heat overwhelmed me. A brilliant fireball gutted the _Catapult_, breaching its right torso from the rest of the body. Evee and Alison feasted on the remaining, wiping out armor and gouging internal structure. The _Catapult_ gave one last throes before giving in. It disintegrated into scrap metal.

"Kill the _Hellspawns_," I commanded. "I will deal with the _Werewolf_."

Now the _Werewolf_ had 20-ton advantage over my _Warhammer_. Going head to head with this bruiser might not be wise, especially that we had to keep it intact for return. My only hope was the pilot's skill. The Screaming Eagles clearly did not have the proficiency in which we prided ourselves. If that was the case, the _Werewolf_ should not pose a big problem, even with its 20 tons advantage.

However, the _Werewolf_ pilot showed some good merit. Missiles jumped at me, followed by scattershot ballistics from its twin LBX cannons. My mech had already slowed down from the waste heat, and I knew I just had to take this shot. Glasses and splinters flew in the cockpit as the canopy breached. A whip of hot air slapped my face, a close reminiscent of the fiery impacts. Smoke oozed into the cockpit and I just had to retch in its acridity. But my _Warhammer_ fared better than me. The armor ate most of the impact, and no internal damage was done.

My turn, now. My left PPC spat, sending azure light at the Werewolf's center torso. The 90-ton mech took it well, and zeroed in on me for a return fire. Well, I was not done yet. My right PPC nudged the _Werewolf_ at the same location, throwing it off balance. The pilot brought his torso center again, but I fired my missiles. Four of them nicked the _Werewolf_ at the left torso, not enough to do serious damage, but enough to keep it off center for the third time.

The pilot may have been pissed off, so he fired his jets, pulling off a wide gap between me and him. I moved in circle, putting myself in his blind spot while taking pot shots with my medium lasers. Again, my lasers were too weak for the _Werewolf's_ armor, but not being able to return fire turned the pilot madder by the minute. Once he thought he had a good aim, he blasted his LBX guns. But only a handful of them grazed my upper right arm. The rest sailed away harmlessly.

By this time, Evee and Alison had destroyed the _Wolfhound_ and were bludgeoning the _Chimera_ in a nasty crossfire. Kangpae did not do very well with the _Hellspawns_, but one of them had to pull out to give assistance to the _Chimera_. The skirmish evened out a little, and I knew Kangpae could take care of himself.

The _Werewolf_ jumped again, now facing me with all its guns ready to explode. I shot my weapons in sequence, first my right PPC, then my left, then my missiles, keeping him off center. The pilot grew so frustrated that at the first opportunity he singed me with an alpha strike. The LBX hammered me with ferocity, but the missiles flew above my head. Nevertheless, my armor tracker went blinking red and soon enough I had to shoot it for real. If the moment came, I was concerned that there might not be _Werewolf_ anymore.

"Got that nasty little bugger!" I heard Kangpae fired off his relief. "Now the _Werewolf_!"

"Strike it from the side but do not hurt it," I guided Kangpae. "Let it know your threat, but do not push your advantage. We need the _Werewolf_ intact."

Kangpae followed my lead, hammering the _Werewolf's_ waist with short bursts of autocannon. The _Werewolf_ pilot ripped its jet, turning his big mech around in a tight arc to singe Kangpae, but I fired my lasers at its back. When they failed to rob the _Werewolf's_ attention, I threw my PPC bolts at the _Werewolf's_ arm. The 90-ton omnimech lurched to the right, and was forced to pivot to face me.

As it did so, dozens of missiles rained down on it, pushing it forward. Evee's incursion into the fray sealed the fate of the _Werewolf_, and the pilot knew he had no chance of survival. He stopped struggling, standing still while aiming his guns interchangeably at me and Kangpae, hoping to take down as many of us as possible. I admired his fighting spirit. That was what I would do in his situation.

"Exit your mech and you will not be harmed," I spoke through my external speaker.

"You want this mech?" a baritone voice answered me. "Come and get it, Yakuza _pendejos!_"

"We are not Yakuza," I replied. "We just want the mech. Give it up and we will let you live."

"_¡Máteme, mentiroso!_ You will kill me anyway!" the voice intensified.

"We have no benefit in your death," Evee added. "Two of your subordinates are still alive, and we are letting them go as we speak. You're free to walk if you just hand in the mech to us."

I did not know if Evee had another plan or just playing with the pilot. There was an added bonus if we captured Mario Cruz alive, and I suspected Mario Cruz was the pilot of the _Werewolf_. This new development caught me off guard.

"Why should I believe you?" the pilot muttered. "You're the one that collaborates with Yakuza!"

"You shouldn't, but you do not have a choice. So act wisely."

There was a long pause, as if the pilot was weighing up his options. After a while, the mech shut down, and the hatch popped open. A slender young man climbed out of the mech, waving his hand. Evee brought her _Archer_ in front of the _Werewolf_ and made some hand signal, asking the pilot to immediately leave the scene. The pilot, waving back in gratitude, quickly reunited with his two members, then slipped behind the rock formation of the oasis.

"I thought we need Mario Cruz alive," I called Evee at her private frequency. "I do not understand..."

"We're dealing with Yakuza," Evee explained. "They will kill Cruz. I don't know what kind of man Cruz is. Maybe he deserves to die in the hands of Yakuza. But I will not take the chance," she paused, taking several deep breaths before making her point, "I will not assist their murder."

Ah, Evee. After all this years, she had not lost her rectitude.

"Fujiwara-san, this is Evee Ridinghood," I heard Evee called the Yakuza. "We got the mech. Cruz, however, was toast. He fought fiercely, and the only way we could get the mech without damaging it was to shoot the cockpit. He was one hell of a mechwarrior. Too bad we had to kill him."

I turned around, raised my arm, and shot the _Werewolf_ cockpit with my PPC.

* * *


	7. Chapter 6

**SIX**

_**Orbit of Victoria,  
**__**New Avalon Combat Region,  
**__**Crucis March, Federated Suns,  
**__**March 19, 3074**_

Evee had spent the better part of her time watching the drab orb in the main monitor as _Paladin_ made the final approach to Victoria. Preliminary radar sweep did not reveal any sign of life down there, although _Paladin's_ accuracy – and its crews, for that matter – was highly questionable. But the lack of activities made her concern. It made everybody concern, even myself.

We spent months sharpening our instinct, working as a team, overhauling our old quirks that could get us killed in combat. We had become something we never thought we could. We hunted in pack, using our speed to quickly gain position, then attacked enemy's stronghold where it hurt them the most. We were not the old Cavaliers anymore. We were Wolves incarnate.

"The first company has boarded the dropship," I told Evee. "We are ready to drop off in 5 minutes. Once in world, I will set up a base camp and a more secure landing zone. Let Shinoyama, Kikuchi, and Yamada drop off for additional fire support. You take the last flight."

"Is he still down there?" Evee whispered her reply. "Are we too late for him?"

"You said it yourself," I embraced her shoulder to give her spirit. "Kyle Garret is a tough guy. He will not go down easily. And even if he did, he would take a lot of them with him. That's what we are here, remember? To give him a hand, or to pay homage to him by wiping out the Word of Blake from Victoria?"

She turned to face me and gave me a short kiss on the lips. "What would I do without you?"

I did not respond. Instead I gave her a soulful kiss, while my mind sang an ancient warrior's canticle of his loved one before he left her to battle. This piece was a millennium old – written in the 21st century – but still perfectly fit in the 31st century, as human's affinity to war did not change much.

_How can I describe thee?  
My throat and pen would dry with haste.  
For the starlight contained within thy hand,  
makes the futile sun furious with thy endless summer.  
And if there was a waterfall that flowed to the reaches of your hair,  
my hands would ravish through thine enchanting spray,  
and drown in thy lovely depths.  
__Shall I cast thine eyes into the nightly sky?  
The shine of day would never end,  
for the jealous moon should forever be concealed under their sparkling perfection.  
Should thou ever give me the warmth of thy beating heart,  
I would never fear a freezing winter's day.  
And let all confections tremble in the presence of thy sweet lips,  
for they are unemployed in comparison.  
__Never shall thy features hide, fade or die.  
They give thee the blessing of a beautiful immortality._

_Red Baron's_ cockpit was already warm when I took the command seat. The tech had run my mech for sometime, checking all the vitals and weapons. It was grinning in its finery: one LBX20 cannon on each arm, and one ER large laser on each side of the torso. I strapped my neurohelmet and gave my company a brief pep talk, "This is what we came for. We are a long way from New St. Andrews, and I expect you to give everything you have. There is no place for Word of Blake in the Inner Sphere, and we will be the first to make them suffer!"

The comlink suddenly exploded with chants and war cries. Knowing that they were all with me, I hailed Evee, "This is First Company, we are ready to drop off. Let us loose, Eev."

The mighty jerk nailed my head on my command couch, and I knew I was flying in space. There were the usual jerks and rumblings, and the state of unawareness soon ended in a rough touch down. As soon as the bay rumbled open, I pushed the throttle, bringing my mech trampled the ramp. We landed on a small savanna. The grass swerved to give way to my gigantic feet, and I paced myself in the semi-open field, knocking several small trees. Half a click away from the dropship, I stopped and observed my company walked down the path. My radar did not show any heat signatures of battlemechs, and visual contact only showed indigenous vegetations. Resting for a minute, I leaned back on my command couch, watching Kangpae lining up the first company as they walked out of the dropship.

And then, my radar bleeped in panic. Nine hundred meters from where I stood, six BCN-3R _Buccaneers_, four TYM-A1 _Toyamas_ and two SPT-N2 _Spartans_ started to make their way toward us. Across the field in the opposite direction, two Level-2 Blakist tanks and LRM-carriers galloped through the open field.

"Dropship command, I spotted a Word of Blake task force with mixed strength coming in our direction," I dictated. "Provide cover fire as soon as they get in range. Cavaliers, get out of the dropship and form up on me. The Word of Blake decided to give us a warm welcoming party."

As my company sprinted out of the dropship, the plain went alive with blazing trails of lasers and missiles from the _Union_, followed by blinding explosions in the distance. The Blakist started sending forth its volleys, maiming the dropship with well-placed missile works. Some of them fired their missiles at us, but without a hard lock, their missiles served more of a strafing means than deadly, concentrated fire.

"Parker, I spotted two more Level-2 forces coming your way," Evee yelled on my ears. "Medium to heavy mechs with _Spartans_. Get back to the dropship and haul ass. The drop zone is hot."

But I saw a chance to make a crippling hit at the Blakist force. Pouring its military might at one place, the Blakists were enforcing its superiority. It was a bully tactic, swarming the hapless unit from every direction, showing who was the strongest player in the field. The psychological damage was much greater than physical or mechanical wound. But if my smaller unit could beat their big guns, everything would come back at them. Their morale would drop like a brick. I knew what my company was capable of, and I was confident that I could tear apart the Blakist's confidence.

"Negative, Dropship Command, there is no time," I rebuked. "Blast off!"

"Parker what the hell are you doing?" Evee's shrilled on the comlink, threatening to rupture my eardrums. "You can't take on Level-3 force alone! Get to the dropship at once!"

"They expect us to cower inside the dropship!" I barked back. "I will not give them the satisfaction! Dropship Command, I am your immediate ranking officer. Blast off! Now!"

"Dammit Parker, I don't need a dead hero! Get to the dropship!" Evee screamed as hard as she could.

I could not think with her screaming at my ears, so I disconnected my comlink from _Paladin_. Pillars of smoke rose as the _Union_ left the ground, peppered by the incoming Blakists war machines. The cloud of lasers, missiles and ballistics thickened by the minute, but the dropship quickly reached safe height, sailing unabated back toward _Paladin_.

"I hope you know what you're doing, Parker," Kangpae said with a glint of panic in his voice.

"Full speed ahead!" I pushed my throttle forward, dashing through the bushes and small trees. My unit followed without questions, some even overtook me. Two _Spartans_ and two _Toyamas_ twisted their torso, lining up their guns at me within 650 meters. The Blakists' missile racks glowed. Half a dozen warheads ripped my mech from the front, peeling layers of ferro-fibrous armor. The rest of the missiles did the same thing to my mates. But I fastened the grip on the joystick and shrugged it off.

"Fire at will! Don't lose speed!" I roared and mashed my trigger, sending twin laser bolts at a _Spartan_. The bolts molested the front armor, melting a ton of armor of the Blakist. Kangpae's _Argus_ barked and poured its armor-piercing rounds toward the Blakist, followed by half a dozen Cavaliers doing the same thing. The slugs tacked the _Spartan_'s neck, failed to breach it, but clearly hurt the Blakist assault mech. It staggered hard, and my _Marauder_ and _Warhammer_ wisely picked up what Kangpae left. The _Spartan_'s right knee burst up, disintegrating its hip from its shin. The _Spartan_ swayed for one second before toppled and skidded flat-faced.

The other _Spartan_ changed course and sprinted toward me, while the _Buccaneers_ made their way to my right flank. Two pure energy beams missed my cockpit by a mere centimeter. I put my crosshair on the short neck of the _Spartan_, 600 meters away. Its laser glowed and spitted venomous strands, two of which caught the _Marauder_ in front of me. I pressed the trigger at the first second I caught the ready beep on his console. My ER large lasers boiled a layer of its right torso armor.

The _Spartan_ retaliated, and a PPC bolt found home on my torso. Hot, sizzling metals splattered everywhere, and the heat spiked up halfway the shutdown level, preventing me from return fire. I gripped my stick tightly, returning to fighting stance just as three medium lasers drilled holes on the belly. My breath caught in my throat, and I flushed the coolant reservoir, almost a quarter of the container, to bring the temperature down.

My _Warhammer_ and _Marauder_ returned fire, and one of the PPC bolts rammed the cockpit canopy, claiming everything inside the cockpit. With a massive shudder the _Spartan_ fell back with plexiglass snippets hurled all over the place.

The remaining _Toyamas_ unleashed everything they got. One good salvo from the _Toyamas_ breached the _Warhammer's_ left arm, leaving the whole structure dangling by just several strands of myomer. The _Warhammer_ let the _Toyama_ harass its left side, waiting for a chance to strike back. The _Toyama_ hurled another round of missiles that connected to the leg, then took a stunted break to deal with its almost unbearable heat.

"Hit the _Toyama_, ten o'clock!" I directed my company to bring down the firepower on the overheated Blakist. Missiles and lasers raced toward the _Toyama_, with some occasional PPC and autocannon bursts. Its front armor quickly turned to orange goo, but it refused to yield. I brought my mech to 280 meters and put the crosshair squarely on the torso. Fire belched from my left LBX, and the _Toyama_ exploded, dissolved into fiery mist.

The last _Toyama_ opted to let us through uncontested. We had broken through the first Blakist formation. Their company had been separated, and none of the lance had the strength or the position to pin us down. The _Buccaneers_, trying to outflank us, did not expect us to make such a maneuver and had put themselves in an awkward position, blocking their own artilleries from taking a clean shot at us. The best they could do was to keep up with us, hoping for the other two Level-2 to slow us down.

"We have broken through their ranks," Kangpae stated. "Where to, now?"

"Another Blakist Level-2 at ten o'clock, 900 meters and closing," I watched my HUD. "We go straight through them. Keep your speed up and guns hot. Mow them down!"

"Again? You're nuts!" Kangpae replied, half protested. "You're going to get us killed!"

"No Cavaliers die today!" I rebuked his whining. "Trust in yourself and you'll be fine!"

Never expecting a close-up combat, the Blakist started pounding my company with their assault mechs, hoping to smother our fast advance so their _Buccaneers_ and armor units could catch up. AMS worked furiously, bringing down many missiles, but the survivors found a way stagger the light mechs. The _Initiates_ fired its missiles, slugging my _Archer_ lance mates by ripping several myomer bundles off its leg. Ten missiles slammed into the _Archer's_ right torso. The medium mech quivered, trying hard to maintain speed with a limping gait.

"Target the _Initiates_! Now!" I ordered. A curtain of missiles leapt into the sky and slugged the two closest _Initiates_, sending their arms flying. Medium-range lasers and ballistics slipped past battlemech formation and lashed the _Initiates_. I picked one and put my twin lasers on its torso. Molten slag bubbled and dripped, and the _Initiates_ swayed violently. PPC bolts anchored the fast assault, leaving the Blakists crumbling with fireball blossomed all over them.

The Blakists responded with their missiles, then with their lasers and ballistics. Their strafing fire slammed home into mechs. As the gap between us shrunk, the Blakists saw me and concentrated their fire to bring me down. Smart move. Within seconds my armor tracker turned red, and fire broke out in most of my mech's part, leaving me with a thread-thin armor and its defiance against the Blakist's weapons.

But hoping to bring me quickly down, the Blakists let a window wide open for Kangpae and the rest of the company. Kangpae took his lance to swing left, peppering the Blakist's right flank, while the rest just let their guns loose. This forced the Blakists to divide their focus. Their fastest mechs were locked in close-quarter combat, while their flank was open wide for Kangpae's lance. One _Spartan_ and one _Toyama_ were caught in a crossfire, firing their weapons vainly, but in the end buckled under the unison fire.

The remaining _Spartan_ and _Toyama_ changed their targets, scoring hits at the limping _Archer_. Armor-piercing shells pounded the 70-ton mech, disrobing it from its protective armor. An unfortunate missile strike ripped its arms off. A burst of autocannon rounds came into light, sending streams of shells towards the _Archer's_ shoulder. The massive torso armor of the _Archer_ gave way to the armor-piercing rounds, leaving the torso eviscerated. A long, azure stream of charged particles lanced the torso into the heart of the mech. The _Archer_ engulfed in a gigantic fireball.

By this time, the _Buccaneers_ had entered firing range and started peppering our back with lasers. I pulled out Kangpae's lance and took the _Buccaneers_ head on, keeping the rest tangled with the _Spartan_ and _Toyama_. Kangpae's _Bushwacker_ lance mates pumped up their missiles to slow down the incoming Blakists. My lasers blended in with the _Crab's_ and grazed a _Buccaneer_ on its right leg, leaving the 55-tonner limping with sizzling myomer. And Kangpae hurled everything he got, staggering yet another _Buccaneer_ with concentrated shots to the torso.

But with speed close to 100 kph, the _Buccaneers_ quickly arranged themselves into a staggered formation and launched a cascaded attack right to the center of my rank. Two laser bolts zipped past my mech, but another pair drilled Kangpae's _Argus_ on the left torso. Molten armor dripped in rivulets, and the 60-ton _Argus_ bobbed and weaved. One Buccaneer slipped past our defensive fire and fired a salvo at the struggling _Argus_. Fire broke out, and Kangpae had to ditch more coolant to cool down his mech.

"I'm in trouble here!" he barked amidst statics.

"All hands, cover fire!" I pushed my mech forward and hit my LBX cannons. The scattered munitions hacked the _Buccaneer's_ left side, pushing the lanky mech to slalom like a mindless zombie. The _Bushwackers_ picked out where I left off, blasting the cannons of their own. Fireworks ripped the Blakist apart, bringing it diving into the ground.

But another _Buccaneer_ streaked loose into our formation, and its Artemis fire control guided its missiles straight into Kangpae's cockpit. I was powerless to stop it, and I could only watch the _Argus'_ head turned into a fireball. Fire quickly turned to smoke, and the _Argus_ slumped gracefully until it hunched over the ground, supported by its right torso.

I felt my senses were betraying me. Just one strike was needed to disable a 60-ton monster, a strike that would shut down its central brain. That brain was Kangpae, and that was what he got. Head shots were virtual impossibilities, and I refused to believe that Kangpae was taken out with a dumb luck. He was my captain, my friend, and the Cavalier's cardinal founder. He just couldn't die. Not yet. Not now. Not by a head shot.

However, it was the truth. Kangpae had fallen, and my denial wouldn't change a thing.

"Man down!" I screamed. I felt the rush of adrenaline burnt my brain, almost turning me berserk. I overrode my shutdown mechanism and chased the damned _Buccaneer_. I wanted his blood, and I did not care of anything else. My laser beams landed perfectly on its back, roasting the thin armor into smoldering shards. The medium mech paused briefly for balance and I fired my LBX. Heat tracker shot up to dangerous level, and my eyes became obscured by the waste heat. At 300 meters, my shots did not hurt the _Buccaneer_, but the impact shoved the 55-ton forward, pushing it off balance.

The _Buccaneer_ turned and returned fire with its missiles, four of which gouged blazing craters along my left torso. Two bright bolts of laser followed suit, burning the armor of my right arm. The other _Buccaneers_ lined up their guns at me. I felt cascading rattles throughout the cockpit, pushing my mech to churn to the left side. My armor tracker started flashing, coupling the warning sign that flooded me with useless knowledge about critical hits.

But at this point, I did not care about critical hits anymore. I wanted that _Buccaneer_ dead, and I did not want to stop to care about critical hits. I fired again as soon as my laser recycled. One flew too high, but the other melted the laser casing on its arm. Fire belched from my twin LBX cannons, and this time, the munitions landed squarely on the torso. Once again they failed to breach the armor, but the impact staggered the mech.

The _Buccaneer_ pilot fired all lasers in retaliation. My _Gladiator_, shot up and badly overheated, buckled under the Blakist assault. Coolant hissed upon contact with burning myomer, and fire broke out in three major areas. Waste heat overwhelmed the cockpit so much I could not breathe. At one point I did not know which would come first: internal explosion due to overheating, my meltdown, or the _Buccaneer's_ next attack finishing me off.

But the _Buccaneer's_ pilot did one critical mistake: he did not override the shutdown sequence. Firing all lasers in unison pushed his mech to shutdown temperature, and against his will, it stopped working. I pushed my mech forward, closing the gap to 150 meters. As the _Buccaneer_ started to rise, I put both arms forward and mashed the trigger. This time, my shots gutted the Blakist, and it went down under a rain of ferro-fibrous splinters.

Meanwhile, Kangpae's lance mates did a good job holding the rest of the _Buccaneers_. They knew I wanted it for myself. While the _Buccaneer_ struggled to get up, it fired its missiles to hold me off. But the rushed shot went meters away from its target. When he regained his footing, I was but 50 meters apart from him. I hoped he drowned in his fear.

As the _Buccaneer_ hoisted its hatchet, I slammed home the alpha strike. Flaming splinters spread out in the air as the Blakist convulsed. The torso armor melted into sweltering ooze. Steam hissed out from the wound, and white strands seeped from its core. The medium mech rocked its limbs, then fell on its back. A second later a blazing pile of light burst from its chest, and the _Buccaneer_ exploded in brilliant flares.

I yanked my sticks backward to bring my mech to backpedal, avoiding the explosion. Revenge never brought me satisfaction, only empty hollow. And revenge never got me anything different. Kangpae was still dead. I turned back, seeing my light lance regrouping with my _Warhammer_ and _Marauder_ lance mates at the back. The recon lance also lost a _Commando_, and the _Warhammer_ had lost one PPC, but they were triumphant against the _Spartan_.

The remaining _Buccaneers_ broke off engagement and ran away, but my sensor caught another demi-company approaching from the east, two Level-2 armor groups coming from the south-west, and yet another group rolling from the east. But the last group was not arranged in traditional 6-unit Blakist formation. There were 8 of them, arranged in two Davion-style lances.

"Welcome to Victoria," a somewhat familiar voice greeted me. "Zoe's here, Shooting Star's Recon Lance. Remember Tecumseh?"

Zoe Catherine. Yes, I remembered her. The nice girl that substituted Evee at Kyle-Natalie's wedding rehearsal. The fact that she was still alive – in good morale nonetheless – was a good indication that Kyle Garret was still around. "I remember you," I replied. "Where is Kyle?"

"We were cut off, but I know he's good," Zoe replied. "He's on the northern part of the continent. We have to break through this Blake defense to regroup with him. I see Blake's mechs on ten, then their armor backups at our three. How banged-up are you?"

"We can manage another contact with Blake's mechs," I observed my unit. "Take care of the armors."

"Damn Wolf to the end, aren't you, Kerensky?" a baritone voice interfered my comlink in half jest. "Look, we have fresher troops. Let us hit the Blake's mechs. When you're done with the armor, come give us a hand."

That must have been David Malthus, Jade Falcon expatriate and Zoe's life partner. Working with an ex Jade Falcon squeezed a wry chuckle out of me. I still remembered the damages Jerome Helmer caused me. But Malthus speaking in Inner Sphere accent – contractions and jokes – was a sign that he had fused with Spheroid's lifestyle much faster than me. I should have ditched my Jade Falcon prejudice long time ago.

"Very well," I turned my mech around. "All hands, prepare to attack the armor assets."

Despite losing half of armor and most of the ammunition, my units were more than eager to hunt down the armors. Killing armor assets should not be a problem, and it was good for their morale. Missiles started to rise high above the wind, but my comrades dove straight under the missile umbrella. The faster mechs quickly closed the gap with the armor group while the heavier mechs took potshots from the distance.

At close range, the tanks were too sluggish to track down the mechs. Chunks of burning splinters were tossed into a large radius as two massive explosions consumed a couple of _Bulldogs_. Then the missile launchers were singed, one after another, while the tanks trying their heart out to take protect the delicate LRM launchers. Knowing that they were outgunned, the tanks turned and left the battlefield.

"They are still in range, Chief," one of my units chattered. "Shall we wipe them off?"

"No… let them go," I switched my radar. "Regroup to reinforce the Shooting Stars."

But soon enough, I realized that it was not necessary. The Shooting Stars reinforcement scared the Blakists, so they opted to go back to wherever they came and left us. Soon, my radar did not pick up any heat signatures other than the Cavaliers and the Shooting Stars.

"I see that you haven't lost your touch, Parker, despite living in an isolated world for a long time," David Malthus commented. "We caught a live one here. I think we can get some information from him before we twist his neck."

"I want him," I sneered. "Can I ask nicely, or do I have to issue a Trial of Possession?"

"That part is our past, Parker," Malthus replied. "If you want him, you get him."

* * *

Thank you **Rica Canonizado** for the beautiful poem!


	8. Chapter 7

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SEVEN

**Note:** This chapter contains graphic violence and sexual references. Reader's discretion is advised.

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_**Victoria, New Avalon Combat Region,  
**__**Crucis March, Federated Suns,  
**__**March 20, 3074**_

The splinter units of the Shooting Stars helped us set up our base camp. We erected three tents, one as the main HQ for the Cavaliers, and the other two for logistics. Zoe and David ran some preliminary patrol around the base camp, and when the ex-Kuritans arrived, they relieved the Shooting Stars.

My command lance pulled our fallen comrades out of the field, including Kangpae's fallen _Argus_. The unfortunate missile strike chewed up the cockpit, crushing everything inside, including Kangpae. It took a lot of me to peek inside Kangpae's cockpit, and upon seeing his final state, I ordered my men to leave him there. Even I could not stomach the scene.

I did not want to remember him this way. I wanted to remember him as an energized lance commander of Ridinghood Cavaliers that always dove into battle head first. That was how enthusiastic and loyal Kangpae was. Perhaps Evee was right; perhaps I should have gotten out of the landing zone instead. Had I followed Evee's order, Kangpae would have been alive by now.

But on the other hand, I took my company to a war. Blood would spill, heads would roll. Warriors would die. I could not bring everybody home alive. Although Kangpae's demise was hard to swallow, the Cavaliers gained a big psychological advantage over the Word of Blake. His death was far from vain.

"I'm sorry for your loss," Zoe stood by me. "I heard of him from Evee. He was a good man."

"He was," my reply came dryly. "A Blakist's sucker punch took him down. I would never think he would meet his end this way. Such an anticlimactic death for a good warrior, just like Natasha Kerensky's."

"Everybody dies, Parker. We don't know how, we don't know when. The only thing we can do is to live off everything we hold dear. Then there'll be nothing else to do when our time comes."

Ah, philosophy. After the intense engagements with the Blake's force, I could use some philosophy. As I listened to Zoe, the _Union_ dropship came and landed 300 meters from my position. Zoe tapped my shoulder, "You might want to keep her off this site. She won't like what she can see."

I understood what she was saying. I stormed off the site and walked toward the dropship. As mechs of Cavalier's second company rolled out of the dropship, Evee walked out on foot. I caught a glimpse of her eyes and I knew my life would be a living nightmare for the rest of the day.

"I know you are upset," I tried to take control of the situation. "But if you list..."

She never let me finish. In fact, she never intended to listen to me at all. She came and fired a swing at me. My cheek caught that punch, flush under my left eye. It was not particularly hard, but I never expected to receive such a treatment. I felt my head snapped back, and my face felt thickened. It hurt just a little bit, but the mental damage was more severe than the physical one.

"Do not forget that I am still your ranking officer!" Evee blasted her fury full force. "I am not impressed by your stunt! You can train _my_ troops as harsh as you like, but they are still _my_ responsibilities! _I_ say when to leave and when to stay, not you! And that includes _you_! _You_ are my soldier, so _you_ do what _I_ say!"

She tried to avoid me, but she stopped upon seeing _Kangpae's_ wreckage. Her entire body trembled, and her eyes flooded with water. Her breath turned ragged, and she backpedaled, muttering "Oh my God... Oh my God..."

"He died a true warrior," I tried to calm him down. "Let us remember him that way..."

But she turned to me, spurting even more malice at me. "You... you owe me a friend!"

She turned around and went into the HQ tent. I chased her inside, whipping the tarp close so our conversation would be contained only to ourselves. "Look, Eev, Kangpae will be dearly missed. He was a good friend of everybody's, including me. But I can't promise I will bring everybody home alive."

"You could bring him home alive if you listened to me!" she roared.

"I am the commander of the first company, and I am responsible for every lives and deaths in my unit," I defended my action. "But the Cavaliers are at war, and to win the war, I have to do what is best at the moment."

"So you sacrificed Kangpae? What the hell were you thinking, Parker? Kangpae was your best shot in your company! Why can't you pick somebody else?"

"Kangpae was not a sacrifice!" I mustered all energy to get my point across, even by yelling. I never raised my voice at her, but it seemed that the time was nigh. She was too stubborn to listen to my cause, and if she acted this way through the war, she would get everybody killed. "Kangpae died dealing a significant blow to the Blake's morale! He died saving your life, because from now on the Word of Blake would be on the defensive. We have broken their morale. Our advantage is costly, but this is real war, Evee! Some of us will die!"

"We are not you, Parker! We do not share your vision of war! We are not engineered to become war machines! And we have our own way to win our own war! You..." she paused, gaining her composure and breaths, "You're a cold sonofabitch, and your strategy cost us our best asset!"

Well, she had a point. But I took the best action I thought possible, not just for my company, but for the entire Cavaliers as a whole fighting force. "Listen, Evee, we could have pulled out of the landing zone, just like you wanted. But it sent a message to the Blakists garrisons that we were afraid of them. Wherever and whenever we decided to drop off, the same thing would happen. I did what I did so that _you_..." I took a moment, hoping that Evee would listen to me this time, "... _you_ don't have to go through what I went through. Why do you think you, Alison, Shinoyama, Kikuchi and Yamada touched down without a single bullet fired at you?"

"Try to put yourself in my position, Parker," Evee replied, her voice breaking into soft tremble. "Try losing somebody that will die for you, somebody that pitch blood for you, somebody that has become your confidant for a lot of years. Try to think that you lose me!"

She paused, averting her eyes from me to watch Kangpae's wreckage. The soft afternoon light reflected from her eyes. _Freeborns_ had convoluted levels of connection among them, so much that they confused themselves. I knew Kangpae meant a lot to her, and losing him must have been unbearable. But we were at war, where death was the central theme.

However her last comment staggered my principles. What if it was Evee instead of Kangpae? Would I do what I did if she was on my unit? Would I keep my composure upon seeing her death, or would I go into manic tantrum? And how would I perceive death if I had to lose her? Would I still think that death was a war necessity? Or would I do everything in my power to keep her away from that necessity?

Perhaps I was playing favorite. I pushed Kangpae to the front line, because he meant no more than a friend. He was never a pivotal part of my life. But I did hold Evee's departure to Victoria until the last flight, because I wanted her to be safe. I did not want her to be harmed. I did not want her to die.

Did that mean I sacrifice Kangpae? Did I sacrifice my company for Evee? Maybe I did.

"When I left New St. Andrews, I prepared myself to lose lives," Evee spoke in a gentler but more sorrow tone. "I just didn't expect to lose Kangpae this soon. And to think that I could have prevented it... that _we_ could have prevented it... why the hell did you do it, Parker? Why didn't you just do what I said? You scared the living hell out of me."

I did not respond. I knew her query did not need justification. Now I felt bad I yelled at her. I regretted my calling her inexperienced. Somehow I had to train myself harder to see what Spheroids meant behind their attitudes. I came at her and gave her a warm hug. "I am sorry I yelled at you. I am sorry we lost Kangpae. I may have relied too much on my instinct. If I had to do it again, I would do it with more finesse next time."

"There won't be next time," Evee fell into my embrace, then her hands unexpectedly slipped down to my butts. "You do as I say." She pulled up her face and kissed me in a furious manner. I was caught off guard, and I tried to break free, but her hands pinned me to her like vise gripping its cane. Her breath blew ragged.

"Eev, what are you doing?" I panicked, afraid if somebody caught us.

"I'm seeking comfort from you," she replied in rasping voice.

"But there's only tarp wall..."

"I lost a dear friend and almost lost a husband," she shot me with a warning through her round eyes, that if I did not give it to her, she would succumb into manic depression. "Please, help me forget this day."

I did not understand why she would want to get intimate at this situation. But time proved that I did not understand her the way I thought I did. And after everything I put her into, she deserved a little break. The best I could do was to close the tarp as tight as possible, and hoped that nobody would pay attention. Nevertheless, I knew it would be superfluous. The tarp was not soundproof.

* * *

It was already dark when I woke up, and the only source of light in the tent was the reflection of bonfires that were lit around the camp. Chatters monopolized the atmosphere, blended with the sound of nocturnal insects. I could pick up some conversations, mostly centered around Kangpae, with additional comments about the Shooting Stars.

I did not know where I lied on, maybe maps or my own clothing or maybe even the grass. It felt rough and cold. Evee lied on top of me, but I did not know where her head was. I just felt a blob of warm, sticky mass sprawled on my torso. It was hard to make out things in the dark.

"What time is it?" I heard Evee muttered.

"I do not know, but I think it's time to go out and assess the situation," I tried to be logical. "The loss of Kangpae may frustrate our mechwarriors, so we have to calm them down. Then we have to make a proper burial for Kangpae. And we have to examine the prisoner."

I heard an exasperating sigh from Evee, then she pulled away from me. I tried to find a flashlight, but instead I found a portable lamp lying on the floor. Our coupling must have knocked it off the post. Once I put it back on the post, I could gather my clothing. I rushed to clad myself and grabbed Evee before she stormed out of the tent, "Evee, are you alright?"

She looked at me funny, then leaned her head on my shoulder. "Thank you. Thank you so much."

Why did she thank me? There was nothing to be thanked for. I thought I was the one that made the most of our intimacy. However, now was not the time to ponder things. Duty called, and I gave her a quick hug before coming out of the tent.

The Cavaliers and the Shooting Stars blended together in several bonfires, and upon seeing us, they shot some lewd gazes before going back to their business. Alison stared into the fire with Shinoyama nursing her shoulder. Yamada and Kikuchi tried to warm themselves in another bonfire, and as soon as he saw me, Yamada shot up and left. That attitude worsened with time, but I did not have time to deal with it now.

Zoe and David greeted us, smiling knowingly. "Thank you for coming. I'm sorry for the loss of Kangpae."

Evee let out a labored breath. "It's eating me alive, but I know it's inevitable. We are taking a part in this accursed _Jihad_, and we know we can lose our lives. It just... it came without warning, and I don't think I'm ready." She forced a small smile. "How's Kyle holding up?"

"As far as I know, he's just fine," David briefed us. "We are spreading quite thin down here. The Blakes managed to shut down the HPG uplink, cutting us off from chain of command. We have to get it back, so we can tell Victor or Devlin that we are still alive and fighting. But the Blakists fortified the uplink quite well, and so far our attempt to get it back ended up in vain."

"Perhaps the prisoner can shed some light," I pointed out.

"You said you wanted him," David pointed at the logistic tent. "Go ahead, have him your way, but I must warn you: this guy is not easy to break."

The bondsman, or prisoner-of-war in Spheroid's tongue, sat defiantly in his chair, firing up his hatred through his eyes. His hands were shackled behind his back, and a slight motion forced a grimace of pain in his face. Malthus obviously made his situation as uncomfortable as possible, but this man rode the wave of discomfort with dignity, as if the pain did not bother him a bit.

It was amazing to see how human mind affected the body. This man was trained as a warrior of faith, and although he knew he would endure hell, he showed no sign of fear because he believed that he was to be martyred. Or was he brainwashed into believing so? I did not know. I had never seen this side of Inner Sphere before, and I had yet to deal with it to understand it.

"You may believe that your resistance is your key to your ultimate splendor," I tried to pry into his mind. "But to me, it is the ignominy of your belief. Sooner or later you will break, so give yourself a favor and stop resisting. Your faith will not safe you."

"Save it, infidel!" the man growled in response. "You have no idea about faith!"

It was the truth. The idea of war was to gain advantage over the rivals, or to preserve ourselves from extinction. That was the ideology of war that I knew. I still could not grasp the idea why this man, and his comrades, went to war. Faith? Faith in whom exactly? Jerome Blake, as they claimed? Jerome Blake's teachings were as obscured as any philosopher. Nobody could have, or should have, waged war based on one man's vision.

"Nothing good will ever come out of Jerome Blake's words," I stated, "or your demented interpretation thereof, for that matter. If you tell me what force guarding the HPG, we will spare your life. That is the only logical faith I can offer."

"If you think we fear death, infidel, you are pathetic!" he roared, voicing his superiority with a glint of insult. "We are ready for death! Only death will purify humans from Comstar's stain! Only death can turn humanity from sickening way of life that is Davion's filth! Or Kuritan's, or Steiner's, or Liao's, or Clan's, or anybody else proud enough to claim the throne of humanity! And you, infidel, you are no better than them!"

"You still don't know the situation, do you scumbag?" Evee, who was silent from the beginning, suddenly jumped in. "I can break your bones one by one until you're whining for me to kill you. I can gouge your eyes and shove them up your righteous ass. Tell me about your commander and friends, and you'll save yourself from live mutilation. And don't think I won't do it because I'm a woman. You haven't seen the real me."

"You don't scare me, witch!" the man screamed even louder. "You kill me today, but a thousand of me will arise and bring down fire of hell upon you, until none of you are left. We are the Word of Blake! We are the sun _and_ the moon, the beginning _and_ the end, the first _and_ the last! We are Messiah! Who do you think you are to stop us?"

_Messiah_. The Anointed One. The Chosen One. The Ruler, The Savior, and The Judge. It was the ideology of their _Jihad_, of their nuclear and biological weapons, of their killing and brainwashing binge. Their vile became their quest for divinity. But who was I to judge the Word of Blake? The Clans did the same thing in 3048. They roared their invasion because of the same ideology as the Blakist: they were _Messiah_ in their own term. And I almost threw up thinking that I was once part of this zealous conquest.

I had enough of ideology. I stepped forward to silence him, but Evee grabbed my arm to stop me. It was unlike her, stopping me from violence. But when I look into her eyes, I saw firestorm. I understood that Evee wanted him for herself. So I stepped back and let her take the center stage. After all, she might hold him accountable for Kangpae's demise. And now, she wanted revenge.

"I am…" Evee hissed, "... a _Kerensky_."

"Huh?" the Blakist gagged, seconds before Evee cocked her arm and rocketed her fist at his face. Her knuckles slammed into his left temple, and the full-body force she put into her fist twisted his neck. The thud was only exceeded by the muffled scream of the Blakist, stung and shocked by the fact that Evee was not a delicate flower. He jerked his body to compensate the pain, losing his balance in the process and falling on his shoulder.

I noticed the flame of satisfaction in her eyes, before they shut in agony. Her right hand trembled, and her knuckles were disfigured. The impact must have mangled her hand as well. I reached out to her, but she slapped my hand instead.

"I'm fine!" she hushed, walking out of the tent. "Just take care of that asshole. Do whatever you want, I don't care. I want every detail of Blakist's force. And honey," she paused inches away from the door, "kill the Messiah when you're done. I don't wanna hear more of his Blakist crap!"

Evee was a great leader, but sometimes her temper put us in an uncompromising situation. I looked at the writhing Blakist, thinking what I should do next. She wanted him dead, and the Blakist knew he was doomed. That made it even more difficult to get information from him. I was afraid we were beyond talk at this point, and only violence would solve this problem. Sad, but true.

So I heaved him up, fixed his position and stood a good foot away from him. His eyes spurted even more malice than before, taunting and challenging me to throw everything at him. He thought he was invincible behind his belief, or could shield himself behind Ares Convention. Well, no one would care if I violated Ares Convention against a Word of Blake personnel. I drew my pistol and, saying nothing, blasted his right kneecap.

I believed anybody within 1 kilometer radius could hear him. His voice barreled out of his lung, filling the air like poisonous gas. He squirmed, but the restraints kept him at his position. I waited until he slowed down, then ripped his left kneecap. I still didn't say a thing. The Blakist roared, begging for his agony to have mercy on him. But nothing he did freed him from his situation, and slowly he began to understand what he had to do.

When he calmed down, I crouched in front of him, shoving my gun at his crotch, "You are dead. When... it is for you to decide."

It did not take long before he opened his mouth. "Demi-Precentor Harbek. He commands a Level-3 army to guard the HPG, predominantly heavy mechs with assault covers. Harbek is in a _Highlander_... Blake's version. If you think you can break them, then you are sadly mistaken."

"Let us be the judge of that," I replied, putting my gun under his chin. "Anything else?"

"A mercenary unit, the Winsome Rose, guards a reeducation camp at Lomme, halfway between here and the HPG station. It's a battalion sized unit, balanced weight of mechs with armor assets, started their career fighting in the Marik Militia, specializing in sniping and hit-and-run tactics. Then they were stationed at the Corean Enterprises plant in Stewart as corporate security. In 3067 they joined the Wolf Dragoons Sigma Regiment but ripped Jaime Wolf off for more money. Kill me, infidel! I told you everything I know!"

I saw there was no reason he was not telling the truth. I flicked the trigger, drilling a hole in his skull.

* * *


	9. Chapter 8

**EIGHT**

**Note: **As summer looms, work decreases, so I have more time for writing. Hopefully I can make significant progress before the next batch of work swarms me in the fall. I'm eyeing for 2 or 3 updates a month until September. I hope it'll make everybody happy.

This chapter introduces you to a new unit, the Winsome Rose. I posted a sketch of the Winsome Rose on my _DeviantArt_ account for your viewing pleasure. Just follow the link on my account. You should see it on the front page. The sketch is based on the real photos of Bien and Rica Canonizado (in this forum: **TheGreenKnight63**), but since my skill is only fair, they don't look like the real persons (sorry... sorry...) But anyway, I hope the sketch adds enjoyment to the story.

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_**City of Lomme,  
**__**Victoria, New Avalon Combat Region,  
**__**Crucis March, Federated Suns,  
**__**June 13, 3074**_

We gave Kangpae a proper farewell. We torched the remains of his _Argus_. We licked our wounds. We patched our battlemechs and stuffed in fresh ammunitions. And we fueled ourselves with vengeance upon Kangpae's death. Now we were ready for another battle. In fact, we were looking forward to it.

Lomme carried more bitterness than archetypal war-torn city; it was yet another testament of Word of Blake atrocities against human's dignity. Buildings were stripped naked, utilities were denied from inhabitants, and there was a Blakist reeducation camp inside the city. I could smell death even a kilometer away from the city gate.

Originally I did not want to deal with the Winsome Rose. Taking Lomme would alert Harbek, and it would make it even harder to take the HPG. However, I knew how the Word of Blake treated people in their reeducation camps. Geneva Convention was long forgotten, and so was Ares Convention, but Blakists reeducation camp was flat-out disgusting. As much as I did not want to fight the Winsome Rose, I was tempted by the thought of liberating the camp. And so were others.

The Winsome Rose excelled in sniping. If we took them head on, we could lose 50 percent casualties, possibly more. I did not want to waste unnecessary assets and resources. Therefore, David Malthus proposed Trial of Possession, hoping that working with the Wolf Dragoons exposed the Winsome Rose to Clan's and Inner Sphere's chivalry. I could see his logic. Open-field fighting was the Winsome Rose's forte, and fighting in Trial of Possession nullified their long-ranged weapons.

But Jade Falcons had the tendency to look down on mercenaries, and history had proven them wrong. So we brought our entire troops to besiege Lomme. If the Winsome Rose refused the trial, or showed a scant hint of cheating, then we would attack them head on. We would slaughter them to the last man.

My mech stood side by side with David's _Mad Dog_, or _Vulture_ as he preferred it to be addressed. Once again, I had goosebumps thinking that I would trust my life in the hands of a Jade Falcon. Not that any of the Refusal War still lodged in my memory, but that green bird logo stamped a dark, reviled apparition in my mind, as if anything that ever came out of Jade Falcon was evil.

However, humanity saw a global enemy in the face of the Word of Blake. There should not be Jade Falcon and Wolf anymore. There should not even be _freeborns_ and _trueborns_ anymore. We were all humans against evil. Distrust and prejudice would only bring us to catastrophe.

"Attention Lomme defenders," David started to establish communication. "This is David Malthus from 160 Davion Guards. I demand to speak with the ranking officer of the Winsome Rose unit."

There was a garbled transmission that lasted 2 minutes, then a clear sound echoed through the comlink, "This is Victor Canonizado, co-CO of Winsome Rose. What do you want?"

"This is Parker Kerensky from Ridinghood Cavaliers," I tuned in. "We claim the city of Lomme as ours in the name of Federated Sun. We bid two mechwarriors and two battlemechs. If we win, you have to leave the city with everything intact. If you win, we will surrender a company of battlemechs for your inventory."

"We don't play games," a female voice replied. "This is Rica Canonizado, co-CO of Winsome Rose. Take your Trial of Possession somewhere else. We are not interested."

"I suggest you rebid your position, mercenary," David muttered in derogation. "If you eschew our trial, we will take Lomme by force. We deem your unit unworthy of honor, and we will give you none when we raze you down under our war machines."

"_Hindi takot tayo, putang inamo!_ Take your best shot! We'll be waiting!"

So they chose blood. Somehow I expected it. Their history proved that they, as a former unit within Wolf Dragoons, knew their strengths and weaknesses, and they knew that they were at their best when burrowed in the city. They could take pot shots at us all day long.

But there was one muted truth behind their dedication to their profession. The Word of Blake nuked Outreach, the Wolf Dragoons' mother planet. As an ex-Wolf Dragoons, why would the Winsome Rose work for the very unit that destroyed their home? Perhaps greed was the key factor, but I did not expect it from a unit that was once affiliated with Wolf Dragoons.

I decided to exploit this bizarre ambiguity.

"Do you think the Word of Blake would appreciate your action?" I said, trying to reach in the dark. "They do not see you any nobler than they see me. We are all infidels, and our place is either reeducation camp or the burning flames of hell. Then and only then we are worthy of their attention. But I think you know better."

"Isn't it hypocritical that you – a Clanner among others – lecture us about the Word of Blake looking down on us, yet at the same time you are doing just as the same?" the female CO replied with derision. "You and your genetic superiority, you and your pure vision of Alexander Kerensky, you are patronizing us about dignity? You know what you are? Tyrants. You are nothing different than the Word of Blake."

Alright, so they did know that they were working for tyrants. I needed to keep pressing on that direction.

"We respect you _freeborns_, although you are not worthy of any. The Word of Blake treated everybody as mere pests. You think the Clans are no different than Word of Blake? We could have repeated Turtle Bay on every planet, but we gave you honor that you did not deserve. We lost at Tukayyid as a result. Now answer me: what did Jaime Wolf do to deserve such dishonor? He was one of few _freeborns_ that even the Clans would bow in respect."

Bringing up Jaime Wolf proved to be effective. My comment might have tickled their inner conscience as Wolf Dragoons expatriates. Or perhaps they were just bored listening to me. Whatever it was, it worked. After a long pause, the male CO came back, "Come forward. We will meet you at the gate."

I pushed my throttle forward, but I did not rush. I knew I was walking into their killing field. A dozen crosshairs might have been latching on to my cockpit right now, and the only thing I could do was to swivel my torso wildly, left and right, with some additional bobbing and weaving. As I moved farther, I spotted David doing the same thing.

As we reached the gates, two mechs stood by waiting. One was the new _Thunderbolt_ 9M carrying the long-ranged Light Gauss. The other was a Clan-made _Night Gyr_ _A_ with a devastating UAC20. This came as a surprise to me. In a unit that boasted long-range prowess, the _Night Gyr A_ was a virtual outcast. But once again, I did not want to underestimate the mercenaries. There should be a reason why the _Night Gyr A_ was there.

"I see that you overestimated us," the female CO quipped. "You outweigh us by 15 tons."

"David, back up," I hailed my Jade Falcon counterpart. "I can handle these two."

"It's not the time to be cocky, Parker," David commented. "We are in their turf. Do not play their game."

"If they do not think they can win this trial, they will back off, and we will have to attack them head on," I defended my action. "Let them think they have the advantage. In fact, let them be cocky. It's at this moment that they are prone to mistakes."

David backpedaled, keeping his mech aligned with the two mercenaries. "Be careful. I'm latching on to the _Thunderbolt_. Whenever I feel the time is right, I will enter the fight, with or without your concession."

"Fair enough," I replied, then switched back to the mercenaries. "Satisfied?"

"You are as brave as you are foolish," the male said; the sound of his gritting teeth was imminent. "Let's begin!"

The _Night Gyr_ quickly made a dash at me, while the _Thunderbolt_ levered its right arm. The quick bleep on my radar told me that I was being locked, so I hasted to twist left. The Light Gauss shell hammered my right shoulder guard. The plate caved in, separated into two ferro-fibrous sheets that whirled in air. The impact forced my mech to sway for balance. But it could've been worse. Had I been late even for a second, the Light Gauss ball would have destroyed me.

So that was how they fought. The _Thunderbolt_ would take pot shots from the distance, keeping the enemy busy until the _Night Gyr_ got into range. Then the omnimech would take control of the fight, still under Light Gauss terror. If they were lucky, the _Thunderbolt_ could make a kill with a head shot, and the _Night Gyr_ wouldn't have to do anything. At the worst scenario, the enemy was either too busy or too banged up to fight the _Night Gyr_. Its massive UAC20 would make short of the fight.

Indeed, that UAC20 was the most dangerous weapon I could've been hit with. I had to dismantle it as soon as I could. So I whipped my mech to run straight at the _Night Gyr_, ignoring the _Thunderbolt_ for the moment. I knew it was a risky maneuver for the _Thunderbolt_ proved to be an excellent marksman. But barring head shot, the Light Gauss would not hurt me with one blast. The UAC20, on the other hand, would.

The _Thunderbolt_ hurled another round at me, this time crushing my front torso, just under the cockpit. The jerk threw me forward, almost ramming my neurohelmet into the console if the straps didn't pin me down on the command seat. The straps burnt my shoulders. The cockpit groaned in agony, sustaining the sudden reverse in acceleration. Pierced armor splinters sprayed into the open, along with nickel-ferrous bits that burst upon impact.

Nevertheless, my front armor stopped the deadly attack, and I kept my focus on the _Night Gyr_. Its large pulse laser started flashing, creating a curtain of bright emerald beams that peeled my armor layer by layer. At 450 meters away, it gunned its jets and made a forward thrust in 30-degree upward angle, closing the gap between us in a quick sequence. Missiles rained down on my, keeping me from getting a hard lock on its right arm. Then the gatling gun belched, spraying its armor-piercing venom right onto my left shoulder.

I ducked but couldn't completely get away from the UAC20 munitions. The roar of impacts almost ruptured my eardrums, and the shock wave pushed my mech to take a knee. _Red Baron's_ right knee sunk into the ground, forcing the 95-ton machine to stop moving. Once again the whole cockpit groaned, sustaining the abrupt move. I tugged my joystick as hard as I could, holding my mech erect, keeping it from stumbling flat-faced.

However, the stop put my mech directly under the flying _Night Gyr_. I twisted as far left as I could, waiting for the _Night Gyr_ to touch down. Lucky for me, I still could bring my right arm to bear in the tight firing arc. As soon as the 75-ton omnimech hit the ground, I fired my twin LBX20. The _Night Gyr_ trembled as my munitions swept the armor on its right arm. Sparks and smoke blended into one giant mist. It was unfortunate that my lasers were unusable. Had I been able to bring them to bear, I could've sworn that the UAC20 was out of action.

The moment was short lived. The _Thunderbolt_ found another angle to sack me in the torso. Crouching provided me with better stability, but the front armor started to fail. My armor tracker turned orange, and a couple more hits would certainly breach the internal structure. This tag team started getting me mad. I had to stop them.

So I got up on my feet, sidestepping a dozen missiles from the _Night Gyr_, then fired my lasers at its autocannon-laden arm. Armor turned into bubbling gel. The _Night Gyr's_ lasers flashed in retaliation, but I took the hit and opted for a hard-lock aim at the UAC20. As soon as the green light lit, I mashed the trigger. This time, my LBX20 shells ripped its UAC20 cleanly at the upper arm. Fire spewed from the incision, and the _Night Gyr_ staggered hard to cope with the loss of mass.

As the _Night Gyr_ swayed, I turned around and shot the _Thunderbolt_. My twin lasers flashed, one flew miserably off its intended target, but the other one singed the right arm. The armor glowed into amber splotch but nevertheless stopped my laser from touching the delicate Light Gauss rifle. I knew I would not hurt the _Thunderbolt_ at such a long distance. I just tried to force it to move. And it did move. The _Thunderbolt_ slid to its left.

Even the greatest snipers found it difficult to score a hit while moving. The _Thunderbolt_ fired its Light Gauss, but its own movement threw off its marksmanship. The slug stabbed my left leg, which ended up as a harmless hit since the armor had not been chastised yet. Dissatisfied, the _Thunderbolt_ rained down its missiles, to which I exposed my right side, absorbing the missiles with my virtually unscathed right armor. Multiple blasts peeled off a layer of ferro-fibrous, but I knew my armor could handle the attack.

Meanwhile, the _Night Gyr_ had regained its footing and powered up its jets, claiming the sky with a stream of smoke. Its left arm blitzed and its torso flared, sending missiles and laser beams at me. I sidestepped the attack, but half of them grazed my right side, weakened by the _Thunderbolt's_ attack a second ago. My right torso started to smoke, and armor tracker went bright red. The repeated blasts pushed my mech behind, forcing me to backpedal.

As the _Night Gyr_ touched down, I brought my mech to swing around, putting it directly between me and the _Thunderbolt_. It was a textbook maneuver that I used over and over when I was outnumbered. Only this time, the Winsome Rose knew how to handle it. The _Thunderbolt_ leapt, clearing the _Night Gyr_, and fired its Light Gauss and missiles. I brought my left arm up to shield me, and all but four missiles tore the armor plates apart. Alarm roared into the cramped cockpit, slapping me with the realization that if I did not stop them, I would lose my arm.

When the _Thunderbolt_ touched down, the _Night Gyr_ jumped over my head and sprayed its missiles. I slammed my throttle forward while jiggling my joystick. I targeted the _Thunderbolt_ and fired my lasers, burning a ton of armor on its right arm. Trying to protect its delicate structure, the _Thunderbolt_ leapt backward, trying to increase the distance. But the city wall hindered its movement, and as soon as I reached 350 meters, I pumped up my LBX cannons. My fragmented shells ripped the Light Gauss cannon. Blue flames enveloped the right arm, seconds before the rifle blew up in a cloud of splinters. The critical hit damaged the torso, and the _Thunderbolt_ tumbled forward.

I thought the _Thunderbolt_ would need several seconds to come back to its feet, so I turned and faced the _Night Gyr_. I did not expect them to chicken out, but losing their primary weapons might intimidate them a bit. So I hailed them both using general frequency, "You have been disarmed from your primary weapons. I offer you _hegira_. You can leave the premises with your honor intact. But if you opt to continue this fight, I will grant your wish for death. Just remember that I still have a lot to bring into this fight."

Instead, the _Night Gyr_ whipped its lasers, followed by a dozen missiles. The lasers turned the last layer of ferro-fibrous into acrid mist, and the missiles scourged the internal structures on my right torso. I felt the hard thrust into my side, and the internal explosion overloaded my senses. The entire section went off like a volcano, and my right LBX, though still hanging by threads of shredded myomers, went off line. Fire spiked up to half the shut down level, and I flushed my coolant, but it only helped at some degree.

Nevertheless, it was my turn. I pumped up everything I had left, aiming at the _Night Gyr's_ left elbow. The 75-ton mech twisted; its left arm flailed to the left. Thick oily smoke billowed from the elbow. I doubted my shot had dismantled the lasers, but at least it twisted the heavy omnimech, keeping its crosshair away from me.

Meanwhile the _Thunderbolt_ started to rise. I still hesitated to use physical attack from time to time, but now the situation necessitated such a brute approach. I needed the _Thunderbolt_ out of the battle while I was dealing with the _Night Gyr_. So I raised my left foot and slammed it into the _Thunderbolt's_ back, pinning it to the ground. My extra 30 ton weight and the loss of right arm proved to be too much for the _Thunderbolt_.

To keep it incarcerated between my weight and the ground, I had to be stationary. I put myself at a disadvantage because the _Night Gyr_ could flank me and rip me apart from my blind spot. My weapons were still reloading, and as the _Night Gyr_ raised its arm, I braced for impact, hoping my mech could take that shot.

It never came.

Encounters with the Winsome Rose were all but normal. They had the guts to betray Wolf Dragoons for more money, yet when they were granted easy victory, they did not take it. At this point, I decided to stop profiling them, and just took the advantage. My thumbs grazed the alpha strike button, ready to reclaim the advantage that the _Night Gyr_ wasted, but my brain defied me from my apparent victory.

Why? Why did they do what they did?

"Yield?" I asked, keeping my crosshair at the _Night Gyr's_ left arm.

"We concede," I heard the male CO replied. "Lomme is yours. We'll leave in 6 hours."

I should have taken it and stop talking, but my curiosity took control of my action. "No, you are not going anywhere. Step out of your battlemechs. I want some answers, and I suggest you cooperate."

I waited until they exited their mechs, then I climbed down mine. I knew I was taking a great risk by exposing myself to enemy's fire. But if I did not give them the benefit of the doubt, I would go nowhere. So I approached them, and I was surprised to see the two young adults, a man and a woman, sharing a lot of features between them. 'Siblings' was an understatement.

They were twins.

It quickly dawned on me why the _Night Gyr_ pilot didn't take the shot. Had _Red Baron_ exploded, it could've taken the _Thunderbolt_ with it. Well, perhaps it would not, but the male CO did not want to risk his twin sister's life. The bond between twins was much stronger than regular siblings, or so I read a while ago. Despite their reputation, I had to give them a nod for their act.

"Victor Canonizado, I presume," I said to the young man, then turned to the woman. "And Rica."

"Listen, Clanner, just because we conceded doesn't mean..."

"Save it," I interjected. "I know why you did it, and you have won my respect. Now, I expect you to honor our agreement. Pull your troops out of the city. Do not make me regret my decision to respect you."

The twins looked at each other, as if talking without words. Then Rica drew a portable comlink and addressed her troops, "All hands, move out. Regroup at the city gate."

As Evee and Zoe came by, I gave my nod of approval to the twins. "My thanks," I said briefly. I signaled Zoe to escort the twins, then grabbed Evee who was hungry for updates. "The Winsome Rose is pulling out of the city. It won't take long for the Blakists to realize something is going wrong. Have Shinoyama, Kikuchi and Yamada pick 10 of the best soldiers among the Cavaliers. I will let David know, see if he wants to pitch in."

"Soldiers?" Evee squinted. "Like infantries? We don't have infantries."

"Anybody who has what it takes to do infantry job," I nodded. "We are taking the reeducation camp."

* * *


	10. Chapter 9

**NINE**

**Note:** This chapter contains graphic violence. Reader's discretion is advised.

* * *

_**City of Lomme,  
**__**Victoria, New Avalon Combat Region,  
**__**Crucis March, Federated Suns,  
**__**June 13, 3074**_

I felt 'dispossessed'.

My Hawk Eagle's 12.7-mm ammunitions did not give me security the way _Red Baron_ provided, let alone the feeling of immortality. It had been a while since I did a grunt job; in fact, it might be at Solaris that I last fought without armor. The luxury of inches of ferro-fibrous layers had made me forget how battles were fought before the age of battlemechs.

Unfortunately for us (mechwarriors and pilots alike) some missions still required old-school method to be completed. Battlemechs were useless in this situation. We were not as trained as infantries – or better yet, _Elementals_ – to carry this fight. We could shoot, and we were damn good at it. But unlike mech battles, one small piece of metal could stop us dead.

Like the bullet in my hand.

My only consolation was the training sequences Shinoyama, Kikuchi, and Yamada enforced to the Cavaliers. They had a very high standard in their _Bushido_, and I had seen them abusing the Cavalier recruits. I thought they were over their heads. Now I was glad that they did it. The harsh treatment of the ex Kuritans prepared the recruits to handle 'dispossessed' situation like this.

"We'll bring 6 _Drillsons_," Shinoyama briefed me as I pushed the last bullet into my magazine. "Yamada, Kikuchi and I are Blue Team. We will draw the Blakists into the open. You ride with Red Team. They'll drop you off at the back door. Get all the prisoners to Red Team. You'll ride home with us."

"We heard some dribs and drabs about Blakist's new supersoldiers," David Malthus added. "Manei Domini, The Master's Hand. Rumor has it said that it needs an _Elemental_ to kill a Manei Domini infantry. If you see one, don't even think of taking it on. Let me and my lance handle them."

David was of a Clan phenotype, towering at 6-4 and weighing well over 200 lbs, all of which muscles. It was just inevitable that he dragged a massive Portable Light Gauss rifle, coincidently christened 'David' by the Free World League, harkening back to the ancient folklore about a teen killing an _Elemental_ with a sling. David's _freeborn_ lance mates carried _gyrojet_ rifles, lighter than the PLG but just as deadly.

"We can handle the regular infantries," Evee cocked her _Imperator_. "We'll leave the 'super' ones for you."

I despised her inclusion into this mission. Not that I underestimated her combat prowess, but this supersoldier thing started making me nervous. However, after losing Kangpae, she wanted to make sure I did not do more reckless stunts. And nobody could stop her from doing what she wanted. Not even me.

"Alright, then, mount up!" Kikuchi's cry started the mission. "Let's hunt some Blake's meat!"

The _Drillsons_ were big hovercrafts, but the lack of friction against the road made them fast and agile, which was why we used them in urban blitzkrieg. They had enough room to take 10 Cavaliers and 4 Shooting Stars in 3 separate vehicles. The Blue Team led the way, swerving on the street against the flow of Winsome Rose battlemechs that poured out of the city. The Red Team followed 50 meters behind.

The city was an absolute urban waste. Rubbles and abandoned vehicles covered the roads, and buildings perched without protective glasses, standing in macabre beauty as muted witnesses of resistance futility against the Word of Blake. What was once a city park now lied in drab, brown mud with castrated trees. Inhabitants were scarce. I reckoned they were either dead or taken to the reeducation camp by the Blakists.

The reeducation camp was only 5 kilos away from the city gate. Less than 500 meters away from the camp, Red Team broke formation and took a different road, while Blue Team boldly charged the camp head on. The Blakists, knowing that the Winsome Rose had betrayed them, poured out of the camp wielding anything from rifles to shoulder-mounted SRMs. And as reality liked to torture me the way my imagination did, six large figures rose from inside the camp. PLG rifles similar to David's were integrated into their lower right arms, while the left sported gigantic claws whose span was longer than my torso.

Battle Armors.

"Heads up! Blake's _Elementals!_" Shinoyama yelled through the comlink. "Red Team, drop off your load at a safe distance. Sorry, guys, I need my _Drillsons_."

As Red Team swerved to find a safe drop-off spot, Blue Team charged forward, spitting a blizzard of missiles to the Blake's infantries. Tongues of fire flared into the air as long- and short-ranged missiles maimed the hapless infantries. Half of the foot soldiers were swallowed by fireballs in that single attack. The rest spread out in panic, going for covers, and quickly forgot about their basic training to stand up and fight.

The battle armors, though, walked through fire and barked their PLGs to counter the _Drillson's_ volleys. Three nickel-ferrous slugs rammed Kikuchi's _Drillson_ at the back. Burning splinters tossed into the air, and the _Drillson_ swiveled half a loop around. Kikuchi quickly regained control of his hover tank, but a crack was visible on the right side of his hull.

"_Kuso! Ikene!_ Watch your head, people!" Kikuchi yelled his frustration. "These guys are very accurate!"

Red Team stopped behind a building and tossed us out. I quickly divided the Cavaliers into 2 groups, one following me to David's right flank, the other went with Evee covering David's left. The Shooting Stars dragged their heavy weaponries on the streets, while the _Drillsons_ quickly dispersed into the skirmish, aiding the ex Kuritans trading blows with the battle armors.

Machine guns, lasers and missiles zipped back and forth, but the battle armors dodged most of the attack. Although three times the size of a normal man, the battle armors moved with the grace of an ice skater, a phenomenon unknown to me or any other Cavaliers. It seemed that the metal bulk did not hinder them a bit. They lacked the jump jets of the old _Elemental_, but with their fluid move, jump jets were not an issue.

"_Se'irims_," David explained, as if he was reading my mind. "They're Manei Domini's new battle armors. They are designed to be fast and mobile. Added with Vehicular Direct Neural Interface of the Manei Domini, this is the first time since the Clan Invasion that Spheroids techs got Clans beaten."

It sounded like a fair statement. The _Se'irims_ moved as if they did not carry extra weight. One _Se'irim_ caught the hull of a _Drillson_ from Red Team, and effortlessly pulled itself to the top. The _Drillson_ writhed and shuddered to get rid of the battle armor, but it clung fast and at one opportunity it ripped the cap open. With one mighty grab the _Se'irim_ pulled the _Drillson_ driver out of the vehicle. The claw's tips punctured the driver's body, crushing his ribcage. The look on the face of the driver was something I would not forget for long, long years. As the _Drillson_ spun out of control, the _Se'irim_ tossed the crushed body into the air and jumped, seconds before the hover tank rammed into a building.

Shinoyama, Kikuchi, and Yamada changed tactics. They moved in swiveling pattern, shooting their lasers at the farthest battle armor. Their strategy worked. The _Se'irims_ could not figure out which tank would shoot at them, and as they got ready to hit one _Drillson_, they were peppered by another. It did not take long for the ex Kuritans to blotch the _Se'irim's_ torso armors.

However, the foot soldiers still packed some formidable heat. Bullets and missiles leapt into the sky, falling hard on the _Drillsons_. Although the bullets did nothing more than chipping the paint, the missiles disrupted the Kuritan's harmony. Their shots turned into amateurish marksmanships, and the _Se'irims_ used this opportunity to slip under their barrages.

"Somebody take out those grenadiers!" Shinoyama hollered in the comlink.

"I'll handle it," I replied before detaching my group from David's. I brought my head under a pile of debris while my boys gathered around me. The Blakists foot soldiers sprawled at 200 meters in front of us, in a large radius, oblivious to our existence. They had not seen us yet.

We came in from their left flank. I tiptoed from rubble to rubble, covering myself in dust. My boys followed me to close the gap between us to 75 meters. I signaled my boys, and at the count of three, I preceded them to spring out from the debris and fired my weapon. When _Imperators_ and _Mausers_ followed my lead, Blakist troops started jolting and stumbling. A couple SRM operators twisted and thrashed under our assault, just as dozens of bullets ravaged their chest, pumping blood and gristle into the air.

The remaining Blakists quickly assessed the new threats. Bullets ricocheted on the debris, forcing us to retreat back under the cover. Sparks blossomed as the bullets grazed the top of the debris, but proved to be too weak to drill into it. Seconds later missiles from shoulder-mounted SRMs whistled out from their tubes, and our cover erupted like a volcano. Pieces of concrete rained down on us, and two of my boys were caught in that explosion. One immediately disintegrated into the dust, the other flew several meters behind before thudded into a pile of concrete.

"Take cover! Go! Go!" I forced them to run while I came to my fallen comrade. He lied on a concrete slab, shaking mostly in shock. There was no visible hemorrhage but the streaming dark blood from his mouth told me he had a crushed liver.

"C-C-Chief..." he muttered, grasping my arm.

"Save your strength," I tried to calm him. "You will live."

By this time, Evee and David had diverted their group to hammer the Blakist from another angle, while they attended my fallen comrade. "How bad?" Evee asked.

"Internal bleeding," I pointed out the obvious. "He has an hour, maybe two."

"Let's get him some place safe," David grabbed his ankle. "I'll get his legs."

As I lifted his arm, he coughed more blood, but we moved him under a shade and left him there. I grabbed his _Imperator_ and let loose a long barrage at the Blakists position. I did not know if I hit anybody. When everybody was behind cover, it was hard to see what happened behind the concrete blocks and dust cloud.

But David's lance mates found more success with their _gyrojets_. The small rockets drummed the concrete blocks where the Blakists took refuge, forcing them out into the open. The Cavaliers picked them up with ease. Soon, the foot soldiers fell back in disarray.

Free from the infantries, the Blue Team picked up momentum and devised another strategy. But they were one vehicle short. A _Se'irim_ jumped onto a _Drillson_ and ripped the armor apart. As the armor gave up the delicate structure it was protecting, the _Se'irim_ shoved its PLG inside and blasted the gun. The slug must have mangled the driver. The _Drillson_ quickly roved uncontrollably and skidded into an empty building.

Another one got into Yamada's _Drillson_ and started the same procedure. Yamada braked off, pushing the _Se'irim_ off the top, but the battle armor would not let go. It hung on to the front of the hover tank, then tried to shoot through the window. Yamada gunned the engine, keeping the _Se'irim_ off balance, and rammed his _Drillson_ into the side of a building. The sickening crunch reverberated throughout the city, and the _Drillson's_ hull broke apart into several sections. The front hull pinned the _Se'irim_ between the mangled hover tank and the concrete wall. Its right arm was seared off clean, while its clawed left crumpled under the weight of the _Drillson_.

But even then, the _Se'irim_ still tried to free itself.

Yamada exited his tank, his left arm hanging free as if there was no supporting bone, then limped away from the tank. Seconds later the remaining hull erupted in flames, swallowing the pinned _Se'irim_ in a ball of fire. The blast kicked off dirt and dust into the air, creating a cloud that covered half of the battleground.

"Get into the camp and free the prisoners!" David yelled while preparing his PLG. "I'll assist your armor assets."

I was not feeling good leaving my _Drillson_ teammates, but they seemed to hold themselves together against the battle armors. So I dashed forward and blasted the remaining Blakist infantries at point-blank, followed by Evee and the rest of the Cavaliers not too far behind. The hapless infantries screamed and jolted before hitting the ground, mowed down by accurate shots to their midsections. Some of them had flak vests on, but it took only one good salvo to their heads to drop them.

We were halfway to the camp when a battle armor cut our path. It was smaller than Clan's counterpart, probably topped off at 9 foot tall. But the monster-like face streaked terror more than any _Elemental_ could. Instinctively we raised our guns and let them rip, but the bullets ricocheted and bounced off the _Se'irim's_ thick armor. I could almost imagine the smile of supremacy on the pilot's face, but the only reality I saw was savagery. The _Se'irim_ swung its claw and swiped a Cavalier. The poor man was flung into the air, leaving ruby mist where he stood a second ago.

My _Imperator_ had long run out of juice, so I drew my sidearm and targeted the _Se'irim's_ head, hoping to burst the face plate for a quick kill. But my bullets did not even graze the paint. I slammed a new clip, went berserk, but did not do anything better than making the _Se'irim_ mad. The hunched battle armor started to lock its senses at me and made a sprint.

Suddenly a hot gale hit my face as a PLG slug whizzed and chiseled the Se'irim's left torso. The battle armor twisted and went down to one knee. It staggered to get up, but another shot slugged it at the same location, throwing it back to the ground. The armor on its left torso had sunk in, and a long crack was visible. Once again the _Se'irim_ struggled to erect, but once again a calculated shot hammered it yet at the same place. The armor gave up, and with a loud shriek the left arm breached at the shoulder, leaving the _Se'irim_ tottering with a bloody stump.

I knew I did not have the means to kill the staggering troll, so I let David took charge of the situation. His PLG barked once more, and the _Se'irim's_ chest blasted, defeated by the immense momentum of the nickel-ferrous slug. The armless battle armor swayed uncontrollably before ramming a wall. It slumped to the ground, leaning against the wall on its right shoulder.

I gave David a quick nod then sprinted inside. Some Blakists gave me resistance, but they were more of technicians or admin workers than foot soldiers. The resistant quickly fell apart, and when Evee led the Cavaliers inside, the Blakists dropped their weapons and surrendered.

But just as I thought it would be a downhill forward, I was proven wrong.

As we started to head for the brig, another Blakist blocked the corridor, wearing dark brown hood, armed only with a falchion. Before I could question the guy's sanity, I caught a glimpse of light reflection off his right arm. It was titanium. The dimly-lit corridor also gave way to part of his face that was shaded under his hood, and I could swear I saw emerald hue where his right eye was supposed to be. _This guy was not human_, and perhaps a falchion was all he needed to fight a machine-gun-totting horde like us.

"What the hell is that?" Evee whispered, trembling in her voice.

"Manei Domini supersoldier," I slammed a new clip into my gun. "Concentrate fire! Now!"

Traces of bullets illuminated the dimly-lit corridor, and I saw half of them slugging the cyborg's torso. But it leapt onto the wall and, disregarding the bullet hail, jumped toward the closest Cavalier. I saw blood splattered from parts of its body, but it did not seem to have any effect on it whatsoever. The falchion made a whooping sound in the air as the cyborg flashed it with a blinding speed. One second later a Cavalier stumbled without a head.

"Move back!" I yelled amidst rattling sound and panic screams. I tried to aim for the head but the cyborg jumped from wall to wall, dodging bullets while mutilating my Cavaliers, starting from the closest and worked its way toward me. One Cavalier stood valiantly, pumping his bullets until his _Imperator_ clicked, then drew his bolo knife. But he was no match against the cyborg. The falchion flashed, and before he could do anything, it incised his midst through, all the way to his back. The cyborg drew its falchion and the valiant Cavalier slumped.

Then, only Evee and I remained.

I had never fought an enemy like this. Everything I fought before was not invincible. Whether it was as voracious as the _nolans_, as insidious as Jerome Helmer, as bestial as Jade Falcon _Elementals_, or as relentless as Sigurd, they were all living beings. They had weaknesses. This cyborg was fast, strong, impervious to pain or damage, and had no feeling of dread or panic. This creature was the perfect fighting machine.

However, it bled. Anything that bled could be killed.

I slammed my last clip then pumped three rounds at the cyborg's midst. It took the first then leapt onto the ceiling. Evee sprung forward and sprayed her bullets. Again it weathered her first few rounds then shifted position. It dashed forward with falchion aimed at my neck, and I had to use every single muscle to block his arms and pushed it onto the wall. My wrists burnt in stinging pain, but nevertheless, the cyborg rammed the wall and lost grip of its falchion.

With her last clip Evee shifted to my left and together we hammered the cyborg's back. The cyborg jerked with every thrust, but still found the drive to kick me on the solar plexus. I did not expect such an attack. As my head spun, I tottered back until the corridor wall cushioned me with its cold hardness. Evee, running out of bullet, grabbed the machine gun at the center and slammed the butt onto the cyborg's face. A furious clang ensued, a sure hint that the butt hit metal substance. The cyborg's head snapped, but it quickly regained its footing and fired a swing. Evee yelped as its left fist smashed into her face.

As Evee crashed to the floor, the cyborg turned to me, and I had a chance to see its face. Titanium covered half of its head, including its right eye which emanated warm green light. The other half was still throbbing with life, just like normal human being.

The cyborg cocked its right titanium hand and fired a straight punch at my head. I ducked, and its hand blasted through the wall. I shoved my gun at its midsection and pulled the trigger. The bullet went cleanly from its back, followed by a spray of blood. Its biological eye widened with surprise while his right telescopic one sunk into its socket. It swayed and took two steps behind, freeing me from the wall. I quickly shoved my weapon at him, aiming for its biological eye, hoping to end the fight with a straight shot through its head.

But I let my guard down. With speed like I had never seen before, the cyborg swung its right arm, and I caught a nasty hit on my temple. I felt my head exploded. I had never been knocked out with one punch before, and this was as close as I could get to that humiliation. The world felt spinning, and if it wasn't because of the corridor wall, I would've fallen, flat on my back.

Indistinctly I watched the cyborg tottered to get its falchion. I raised my arm to shoot it, but I could not get a clear aim. I could not trust my own eyes. So I slipped to the left, just as the cyborg leapt toward me. I could only guess that it was after my head. I reversed direction, throwing my body as hard as I could to my right, but the blade caught me on the left shoulder. It breached my collarbone, punctured my shoulder blade, and impaled me back to the wall.

I did not know what came out of my mouth. I could not even remember what I did. The only thing I could sense was a mighty anguish that enveloped my entire body, overloading my senses, and pushing me to the brink of death, or so I thought. My knees buckled, but the blade kept me on my feet, nailing me to the corridor wall. My breaths became heavy, and with each draw I felt my shoulder stung me.

I thought I was done.

But suddenly the cyborg's body bowed forward, accompanied by an agonizing groan. Its titanium hand involuntary crunched its falchion, splintering it in the process, with the largest chunk still lodged in my shoulder. As my vision cleared, I could see a steel pipe went through its body, entering from the back and burst cleanly on the front. There were only a few smears of blood on the pipe, but the cyborg was clearly hurt.

"Die, monster!" Evee fizzled. "Just... die!"

I did not know where she got that pipe. And I did not know why I never lost grip of my gun. My arm trembled as I brought my gun under its chin. The cyborg's chin was not covered in titanium, so I fired my gun, possibly my last bullet. My .50 caliber slug burst through its titanium cranial lobe, spraying crimson fluid and minute gadgetries over the wall. Its head snapped back, and finally, it fell flat to its back.

My breaths grew raw, and I tried to free myself from the wall but every move only added misery. Evee teetered to help me, and although her face was deformed by the cyborg's punch, she was in a much better shape than me.

"Oh God, Parker! Are you okay?" she kissed me with her bloody lips. "Honey, talk to me!"

"Pull me out..." I sighed in exasperation. "Pull me out of this wall."

With one heave Evee pulled me out, and the splintered blade finally came loose. I went down on my knees, taking breaths like a madman, then noticed the soft clattering coming from the cyborg. Although faint, the titanium arm was still shaking. That thing was still alive.

I grabbed Evee's hand, forcing myself to stand. Although half of its machine brain had been blown apart, the remaining half was still functioning, and its telescopic eyes moved back and forth in its socket, trying to get a focus of me. Its lips shook incoherently, but the voice coming out of them was crisp and clear, "You think you have won your war, infidels? Ignominy of defeat shall be yours wherever you go, because you are the greediest of mankind... Terrible doom waits for you disbelievers. Taste the punishment which is your due, you heirs of hell..."

Before it finished his rant, Yamada's katana went straight between its lips, while Kikuchi's katana sank deep into its throat. The cyborg trembled, then its telescopic eyes flickered to die. Shinoyama stabbed the cyborg on its chest, making sure that it was disposed completely.

"Easy now," David slung my right arm across his shoulder. "Everything's going to be alright. My lance will take care of the prisoners."

I look at Evee, who was assisted by Shinoyama and Kikuchi. She was not in pain barring her mangled face, so I could rest my worry for now. As we walked away, I shot one last look at the cyborg. If that was the way the Word of Blake built their troops, I had a feeling that this campaign would turn worse.

A lot, lot worse.

* * *


	11. Chapter 10

**TEN**

**Note:** There is copious amount of reference to **Sentinel28** in this chapter. The idea came from **TheGreenknight63,** as the Winsome Rose line-up is their copyright.I play along as an appreciation for what he did in his story arc. Sentinel, if you read this, I hope you like it. You too, Greenknight.

I also put Samantha Rose as one of the commanders of Winsome Rose, following Ashley's request. To **Juha**: I sincerely apologize, I really like your idea but I need her more in this TO&E. I hope you can understand, and maybe I can use it in some other time, or some other universe.

* * *

_**City of Lomme,  
**__**Victoria, New Avalon Combat Region,  
**__**Crucis March, Federated Suns,  
**__**June 15, 3074**_

I was told that it needed more than 50 stitches to sew my shoulder back together, and that was just the front side. The medics had to put a pin on my collarbones, and most likely it would stay there forever. My shoulder blade had a hole the size of a coin, and they used a new amalgam to fill in the puncture. They said it would take me 2 months to recover, but afterwards I should not be able to tell the difference.

Like I cared about the differences! For all I cared, it could have been my lung. It could have been my neck. Sustaining injuries on my shoulder was nothing compared to what I could've lost. Sometimes they stung me to the point I was thinking of _morphine_, but other than that, I would not complain about my injuries.

The only thing I would bicker about was losing momentum. With me stranded on the bed, the Cavaliers – Shooting Stars advance had to cease. Worse still, I was not the only one. Yamada's arm was squashed when he killed the _Se'irim_ by ramming his _Drillson_ onto a wall. The guy that ruptured his liver eventually died. Some of the Shooting Stars were also injured. And we lost a dozen men from various units. Evee refused to continue in this condition. I begrudged her decision, but being constrained in bed, I lost my voice in the unit.

"How're you feeling?" Evee sat on my bed. Half of her face was purple, and her lips were doubled in size, but at least she was walking free. If the cyborg Blakist hit her with its cybernetic arm, she could've been killed, or at least she would sustain crippling injuries. Come to think of it, I wondered why the cyborg didn't kill her right away. Perhaps it thought that I was the bigger threat, and she was all but significant. It was a blunder that ultimately brought it to its demise.

"I'm alright," I shifted uncomfortably in bed. "The Cavaliers are hurting more by my sitting here."

"Stop being a soldier and be a human once in a while," Evee tried to smile, but even a scant stretch on her face induced agony. I could see her cringe. "You won't fix anything by being stubborn. The best thing you can do is rest, so you can recover quickly and come back to lead us again."

"Lead you again?" I could not contain my snigger. "I thought I was to follow your orders."

"Ahhyee..." Evee puffed a long breath and threw her eyes out of the window. "I was mad. Alison, Kangpae and I had gone through hard times. We were double-crossed by Liao agent, stomped by Jade Falcons, dismantled by MacGregor heir, and in the end we were always triumphant. I guess Kangpae's loss served as a wake up call that we were not... immortal. I didn't want to wake up yet, so I blamed you for that.

"But I realized that if it were not you at the helm, we wouldn't have gone this far," she continued after a brief pause. "You got Lomme with no casualties. I would've led the Cavaliers into a bloodbath with the Winsome Rose, but instead you may turn them into our ally." She shot a gentle stare at me. "I am the ranking officer, but battle strategy is not my forte. I'll leave the Cavaliers in your hand."

"You leave your unit in the hands of a cripple," I tried to lighten her mood. "I'm holding back everything. Listen, Eev, you are as capable as me. You know how I think. Lead them on and press our advance before the Word of Blake regroup and rearm. We can't afford to lose momentum."

"Well, we'll just have to get it back later," she forced a smile. "I'm not going anywhere without you."

It was a difficult decision to accept. Timing was of the essence, and we could save a lot of lives if we moved out quickly. In the battlefield: speed was life. But if I placed myself in her position, I would have done the same thing. I could have achieved the impossible, but without Evee by my side, nothing was worth it. She must have felt the same way about me.

"So what is the deal with the Winsome Rose?" I tried not to sulk too much. "Why do you think we can make them an ally?"

"They do not share many of Word of Blake treats," she explained. "They are not zealous fighters. They have been cooperative. They lean toward money more than Blake's ideology that fuels this Jihad. And most of them express extreme disgust at the reeducation camp, which was strange because their job was to garrison the reeducation camp. I have a feeling that the Word of Blake jeopardized their contract. You know how devious they are." She cleared her throat before continuing, "If we had money, we could easily buy them off."

"What about salvage rights?" I muttered. "We can negotiate salvage rights percentage, plus the satisfaction of getting even with the Blakists."

"If they are holding a grudge against the Blakes."

"Yes, if they are holding a grudge against the Blakes," I summarized. "I guess we can find it out."

"In due time, honey," she pushed me back to bed before I had a chance to fully get up. "In due time."

* * *

_**City of Lomme,  
**__**Victoria, New Avalon Combat Region,  
**__**Crucis March, Federated Suns,  
**__**July 25, 3074**_

It had not been 2 months, but I already got bored. The same room scene, the same smell, the same annoying beeping of medical devices emasculated me with their persistent prodding every single day. I came to a point that I would incite a revolt if I was not allowed to leave, and fearing for my own safety, the doctors finally let me go. But they put my left arm in a sling, and wouldn't budge about doing otherwise. I thought I could live with that.

Walking free, now I could join Evee and the Shooting Stars doing business with the Winsome Rose. When I was constrained in bed, Evee wouldn't disclose the TO&E of the Winsome Rose to me, lest I refused to rest. For the first time after I made contact with them, I had a chance to see their true strength, and boy was I glad that I beat them in a Trial of Possession. The Blake's POW misled us by saying that the Winsome Rose was battalion strength. In reality, it was almost regiment-size strong, and it could have easily crushed the Cavaliers and Shooting Stars.

**Winsome Rose TO&E**

_1st BattleMech Company  
Veteran/Fanatical_

Headquarters Company (Men of Destiny)

TDR-9M _Thunderbolt_ (Rica Canonizado Co-owner)  
_Night Gyr A_ (Victor Canonizado Co-owner)  
BL6-KNT _Black Knight_ (Colonel Jason Dequinia, Winsome Rose CO)  
TDK-7X _Thunder Hawk,  
_EXT-4D Exterminator  
2 FLS-8K _Flashman  
_WVE-5N _Wyvern  
_BMB-12D _Bombardier  
_CRK 5003-1 _Crockett  
_PLG-3Z _Pillager_

Command Lance (The Dogs of War)

LNC 25-01 Lancelot (Major Carlo Madarang, Winsome Rose XO)  
2 ST-8A _Shootist  
_2 BEO-12 _Beowulf_

Battle Lance (The Four Horsemen)

AS7-D _Atlas_ (Lieutenant Lizette Donnes)  
NSR-9J _Nightstar  
_KGC-000 _King Crab  
_SPT-N2 _Spartan_

Fire-support Lance (The Hyperion)

HGN-732 _Highlander_ (Lieutenant Samantha Rose)  
VTR-9K _Victor  
_ON1-M _Orion  
_STK-5S _Stalker_

Sweeper Lance (The Point of the Spear)

MCY-99 _Mercury_ (Lieutenant Arianne Honrada)  
THE-N _Thorn  
_HSR 200-D _Hussar  
_SPR-5F _Spector_

_2nd Company BattleMech  
Veteran/Fanatical_

Command Lance (Saving Grace)

LNX-9Q _Lynx_ (Captain Eloisa Espiritu)  
CHP-1N _Champion  
_END-6Q _Enfield  
_STY-3C _Starslayer_

Battle Lance (War-Blade)

HGN-732 _Highlander_ (Lieutenant Trishia Barao)  
CP 10-Z _Cyclops  
_BL6-KNT _Black Knight  
_EXC-B2 _Excalibur_

Hunter Lance (Bloodhounds)

NTK-2Q _Night Hawk_ (Lieutenant Todd Gammo)  
STG-3R _Stinger  
_WSP-1A _Wasp  
_DV-6M _Dervish_

Reserve Lance (The Archers of Love)

SHD-5M _Shadow Hawk_ (Lieutenant Christine Ann Briz)  
2 STG-3R _Stinger  
_WSP-1A _Wasp_

_3rd BattleMech Company  
Veteran/Fanatical_

Command Lance (Sword of Justice)

THG-11E _Thug_ (Captain Fatima Foz)  
GLT-3N _Guillotine  
_EMP-6A _Emperor  
_VTR-9A1 _Victor_

Battle Lance (The Berserkers)

HGN-732 _Highlander_ (Lieutenant Carissa Mendoza)  
VTR-9K _Victor  
_ON1-M _Orion  
S_TK-5S _Stalker_

Tracker Lance (Night Hunters)

SHD-5M _Shadow Hawk_ (Lieutenant Melody Faye Arreza)  
2 STG-3R _Stinger  
_WSP-1A _Wasp_

Ambush Lance (The Hearts of Gold)

MCY-99 _Mercury_ (Lieutenant Janice Manuel)  
THE-N _Thorn  
_HSR 200-D _Hussar  
_SPR-5F _Spector_

_Winsome Rose transport assets:_

Blood Thorn (_Star Lord_ Class Jump Ship)  
Black Rose (_Overlord_ Class Drop Ship, Primary mech carrier)  
Steele Blossom (_Union_ Class Drop Ship, secondary Mech Carrier)  
Kiss-of-Death (_Fortress_ Class Drop Ship, armour and tank Carrier)  
Shadow Petal(_Condor_ Class Drop Ship, Infantry Carrier)  
Heartbeat-of-Spring (_Condor_ Class Drop Ship, Infantry Carrier)  
Fire-Orchid (_Confederate_ Class Drop Ship, Medical , hospital, food, and supply transport)  
Iron Flower( _Merchant_ Class Jump Ship, secondary transport)

_Tank-Battalion with attached extended mech command lances (drop ship security force)_

Regimental Command Lance (Warriors of the Rose)  
Elite/Fanatical

Major Benjamin Donnelly (HGN-732 _Highlander_)  
Captain Rain Nerona (CP 10-Z _Cyclops_)  
Lieutenant Irene Guivara (BL6-KNT _Black Knight_)  
Sergeant Carla Mendoza (EXC-B2 _Excalibur_)  
Lieutenant Gretchen Wania (BL6-KNT _Black Knight_)  
Sergeant Natasha Palugod (ON1-K _Orion_)  
Sergeant Marielle Temblor (ON1-K _Orion_)  
Sergeant Maria Blessilda Kiamzon (ON1-K _Orion_)

_Tank battalion:  
1st Armor Company  
Veteran/Fanatical_

Command Lance (Thunderbolt)

_Burke_ Heavy Tank (Major Xara Lantaca)  
_Burke_ Heavy Tank  
2 VNL-K65N _Von Luckner_ Heavy Tank

Battle Lance (Battle Cry)

_Rhino_ Heavy Tank (Lieutenant April Marie Glodoviza)  
3 _Fury_ Heavy Tank

Scout Lance (Lightning Strike)

_Zephyr_ Hover Tank (Lieutenant Allison Lopez)  
Kanga Hover Tank  
2 _Lightning_ Hover Tank

Trooper Lance (The Garbage Girls)

VNL-K65N _Von Luckner_ Heavy Tank (Lieutenant Pauline Luna)  
Maultier APC  
2 J-27 Ordnance Transport

_2nd Armor Company  
Veteran/Fanatical_

Command Lance (The Long Nines)  
4_ Alacorn_ Mk VI Heavy Tank (Captain Lauren Green)

Fire lance, extended to 6 units (Raining Fire)

LT-MOB-25 Mobile _Long Tom_ Artillery (Lieutenant Samantha Camitan)  
5 _Padilla_ Heavy Artillery Tank

Support Lance (Strength of Arms)

VNL-K65N _Von Luckner_ Heavy Tank (Lieutenant Grace Ann Perido)  
_Maultier_ APC  
2 J-27 Ordnance Transport

_3rd Armor Company  
Veteran/Fanatical_

Command Lance (Wings of Justice)

4 _Nightshade_ VTOL (Captain Clara Bernadette Amanan)

Battle Lance (Death from Above)

4 _Cyrano_ VTOL (Lieutenant Kim Chiu)

Scout Lance (Hawkeye)

_Cyrano_ VTOL (Lieutenant Tina Marie Saulo)  
3 _Ripper_ VTOL

Evee had been dreaming of having this kind of strength all along. She always wanted to command an RCT. House MacGregor, however, did not have that much money to support her plan. Whether it was the truth, or they did not see the Ridinghood Cavalier's usefulness as more than a battalion, one would never know.

Nevertheless her wish to have an RCT gave me the satisfaction of imagination, especially after reviewing the Winsome Rose TO&E. If we had this many troops, we would've routed the Word of Blake easily. Having the Winsome Rose to switch side would make us a mixed RCT. I thought Evee would like that.

But the problem with them was loyalty. History stated that the Winsome Rose was loyal only to money. We did not have money to fund an RCT, and no mercenaries would go for a penniless job. The only possibility was partial salvage rights in which the Winsome Rose would settle for. And even then there was no guarantee that the Winsome Rose would stay loyal.

I could not wait to hear what they had to say about it. David, Zoe, Evee and I sat together with Victor, Rica, and some of their posse who I could only guess as Winsome Rose company and lance commanders. As Evee mentioned, the mercenaries did not show zealous hostility common to Word of Blake operatives. But I guessed it was due to the fact that they were not our prisoners. I granted them _hegira_, so they were free to go anytime.

"What made you work for the Word of Blake?" Zoe started peppering the mercenaries with questions. "Waco Rangers... that I can understand. You don't seem to be in desperate need for money, nor mental instability like Wayne Waco. Why did you do it?"

"We were young and stupid," Rica responded, still maintaining calm attitude. " We were sick of the political maneuvers by the Great Houses. The Steiner-Davions wasted billions of lives just to satisfy their egos. The Liaos and the Haseks continued to flare their paranoia of each other. And the Clans and Peripheries gnawed at the Inner Sphere like bugs sucking on blood. At that time, the Word of Blake was rising to power, and they seemed to be the most noble – and lucrative – faction to work for."

"But then, we learned about Wayne Waco," Victor continued where his sister left off. "Then Outreach, New Avalon, and Tharkad. Then the reeducation camp. And ultimately, we are assigned to guard one. Despite its namesake, a reeducation camp was not a place for education. It's an orgy of terror. We did abominations in the past, but never did we go as low as the Blakists."

"Why didn't you just leave?" Evee retorted. "Or maybe take them on yourselves? You have matching firepower. You could've hurt them bad. You could've even beaten them."

"They pay us dearly," Rica explained as her voice started to lower. "When your future is guaranteed by your current job, suddenly a simple rectitude becomes a very complicated matter. Word of Blake knows how to manipulate people, and I'm not ashamed to acknowledge that we have been manipulated by them."

"In the end, we are just mercenaries," another character spoke up. He was not of Asian origin that made up the Winsome Rose personnel; he was bigger, taller, and had more facial hair. "We lead a simple life: we fight and we get paid. We could've pulled out of our contract and turn our guns at the Blakists, but it'd take the Snowbird out of us, and we certainly don't have that quality."

"That's Major Ben Donnelly, our dropship security leader," Victor pointed out. "He's writing a historical account on the Snowbird Battalion, a mercenary unit that massacred the Jade Falcon at Vantaa. You probably don't hear much of the incidence as it's most often overshadowed by Kai Allard's and Victor Davion's exploits."

"Oh, I know about Vantaa," I couldn't resist poking fun at David Malthus. "I know it in minute details."

"Massacre is too strong a word," David Malthus growled, his guttural voice slipped through his gritted teeth. His face was all flushed with annoyance. I reckoned he was still sentimental about his former Clan. "And for your record, Wolf brat, Star Colonel Athena Henderson is not an archetypal Jade Falcon. Just like Dirk Raddick."

I never thought my little comment reenacted a 'Refusal War' between me and David. Bringing up Dirk Raddick and Toffen incidence was a clear sign of picking up a feud. Alright, if that was what he wanted. I armed myself with Twycross, Tukayyid, Coventry, Chistu and Crichell, but Evee's nasty stare nailed me to my seat. I knew my place. This scuff, fun or bitter, would have to wait.

"So where do you stand now?" Zoe continued. "Are you ready to fight with the good guys?"

"There are no good guys or bad guys in a war," Victor explained where the entire unit's allegiance. "Heroism or villainy depends on who wins the war. We are what Ben said we were: mercenaries. We're in it for the money, nothing more, nothing less. We give up Lomme because we are beaten in honorable combat by Parker, and he treats us with respect. But if you want us to fight for you, you have to outbid the Word of Blake."

"Maybe salvage will catch your interest," Evee joined in. "Some Blakist mechs carry state-of-the-art weaponries, and you can keep whatever you kill, assuming you know how to kill with minimum damage. But with those sniping skill of yours, you should have no problem. If that's not enough," she paused to take some deep breath, "perhaps the Snowbird's rectitude and the satisfaction of revenge can convince you to fight with us. Not _for us_, but _with us_."

Victor and Rica looked at each other, then started talking between themselves, with other members intermittently cutting off their conversation. I would like to think that they gave their inputs to the co-owners, but they used a language known only to themselves. It was not Japanese, because I was familiar with it although I did not speak it much. And I knew David, Zoe and Evee were as clueless as I was. Their eyes gave up their minds.

"The Word of Blake will not let Lomme slip from their grasp," Rica finally came back. "They will send their troops to get Lomme back. We will defend Lomme for you, but the spoils of war are ours. You are safe within the perimeter. But we will not leave the city. We will not aid your quest beyond the city. If you want us to help you beyond the city, you have to pay more."

Well, I could not expect more of the Winsome Rose. They had their own agenda, and within Lomme perimeter we had enlisted them without spending another c-bill. I was satisfied with the negotiation, and from the look of David, Zoe and Evee, I knew they shared the same view with me.

"Very well, we accept it for now," Evee concluded. "We're glad we reach some understandings."

"We are open for business," Victor stood and offered a handshake. "Betraying our customer has somewhat become our trademark, but we are compelled to return your respect. The Word of Blake had crossed the line with their reeducation camp, and as long as we hold the city, there shall never be another camp at Lomme."

"I am happy to know," I took his hand, then fired off my curiosity, "You spoke very strange Japanese."

Victor's smile stretched from ear to ear. "_Tayo'y mga Pinoy, tayo'y hindi _Japanese."

* * *

_**City of Lomme,  
**__**Victoria, New Avalon Combat Region,  
**__**Crucis March, Federated Suns,  
**__**September 9, 3074**_

My arm had been freed from the sling, but the twinge lingered on. It gave me hard times during the night, but not enough to make me crave for _morphine_. I remembered a conversation with a Kuritan doctor at Solaris many years ago. He said I handled pain better than regular _freeborns_. Well, lucky me, because I did not want to be addicted to painkillers. I had been there once, and I did not want go there again.

The Winsome Rose had VTOL units which were very useful in recon and patrol missions. Commanded and manned almost entirely by hot female pilots, the VTOLs buzzed through the city and beyond. So far they reported recon activities by the Word of Blake, but the scale was miniscule enough for Victor and Rica to ignore, at least for now. Major Ben set up a patrol run that made contact with Blakist recon units, but so far no skirmishes had been instigated.

The reeducation camp contained some mechwarriors, and they happily joined the Cavaliers to make up for the slain 10. Of course, their physical, gunnery, and piloting states were not up to par with the rest of the Cavaliers, so the ex Kuritans happily volunteered to train them. In fact, volunteer was too soft a word, especially for Shinoyama. He enforced his _Bushido_ to the point where the new members could not walk upright. From one point of view, he was in the borderline of being sadistic, but after seeing the Manei Domini, I would not complain about his harsh training. We needed that push.

David and Zoe made regular contacts with Kyle Garret, and we were invited to join in. It was particularly good for Evee, because it was what we were here for. Her face was blazing with joy, and her smile burst into the open when Kyle called her out through a clear channel, "Hey there, beautiful! Long time no see!"

"Yeah, glad to hear you're OK," she replied blissfully. "How're you holding up?"

"We're spreading quite thin up here, but we manage. How's my favorite Solaris nemesis doing?"

"I am here," I made known of my presence. "It took us a while, but we are glad we are not late."

"Late for what?" Kyle chimed in jest. "Late for my sake, or late for hunting the Blakists? If it's the latter, don't worry. They still own Victoria."

"Who says we're talking about you?" Evee returned the quip. "We're here for Natalie's sake."

"Thanks! That is very nice!" Natalie joined in amidst Kyle's burst of laughter. "As Kyle said, we are in good condition but we are in desperate need of reinforcement. Our ballistics and missiles are virtually depleted. Food is not an issue, but fresh water is. The Blakes infected almost all fresh water supplies in Victoria. We need ammunitions, coolant, and logistics, and the only way we can get those was through the HPG uplink. Unfortunately, the Blakes occupied it, and we don't have enough juice to attack them."

"We have enough information and power to do it," I replied. "The HPG is guarded by a Level-3 unit. My unit has the capability to deal with their Level-3 , but I have to ask: is Demi-Precentor Harbek a Manei Domini?"

"I see that you had met their kind already," Kyle's tone darkened, and his voice turned sour. "Damn zealots, they don't get enough worshipping toasters, now they have to turn themselves into ones. Fortunately, Harbek's unit is not Manei Domini. It's just a regular front-line heavy-assault group."

"Still dangerous, I reckon," Evee mused.

"That's right, but we found a small pass through the mountain that you might find useful," Natalie added. "I'll send the encrypted map to you. This path leads you straight to the HPG, so you can devise a surprise attack. However, it's too narrow for a battalion. A lance or two is more likely to go through the pass. There is another way through a very wide plain. It's shorter and simpler, but Harbek can see you from miles away. I'm afraid you'll have to fight head on with Harbek's force."

"We can use both, Sir," Zoe stated. "We can send a small task force through the mountain pass while the bulk of our army marches through the plain. When most of the Blakists go out, the small task force strikes Harbek from the back. When Harbek falls, hopefully the fighting stops. If not, they'll be disoriented without their leader, so the bulk army should be able to finish them quickly."

That was not a bad idea.

"I like your scheme, Zoe, but how about the Cavaliers? Evee, are you up for it?"

"We're ready to take the brunt of Harbek's firepower," Evee replied with confidence. "Why don't Zoe and David go through the mountain pass while we lure the Blakists out? What do you think, honey?"

"I could not agree more," I quickly answered. "We can handle it."

"Once again, thank you for coming after us," Kyle concluded. "Be careful out there. We never know what the Blakes are up to. Although Harbek's units are just regulars, there's no guarantee that you won't see Manei Domini. You've seen them before."

"Unfortunately," I concurred while rubbing my left shoulder. The slight tenderness served as a reminder of how brutal the Manei Domini fought. "I guess I'll leave with it for a long time."

* * *


	12. Chapter 11

**ELEVEN**

_**City of Lomme,  
**__**Victoria, New Avalon Combat Region,  
**__**Crucis March, Federated Suns,  
**__**January 26, 3075**_

"You sure you're not going with us?"

Preparation of going north – where we would liberate the HPG station from the Word of Blake – went smooth without the Winsome Rose's contribution. They were adamant that they would stick to Lomme, and passed every offer to clean up Victoria from the Blakist's presence. I could understand their decision to some extent. And perhaps it worked best for us as well. No one in Ridinghood Cavaliers felt comfortable working with them just yet. And I knew the Shooting Stars felt just the same.

So we were going north by ourselves. David and Zoe would lead their lances through the treacherous mountain pass while the Cavaliers would attack the HPG from open range. Sometimes that plan sounded like a suicide. Demi-Precentor Harbek might have more than we anticipated. But I agreed with Zoe. If Harbek fell, his entire force would go down with him. All we had to do was to hang on long enough for the Shooting Stars to do their job.

"We'll leave the principles for you," Rica summed up their stand in this war. "Our responsibility is to ourselves and our futures. Just think that you are always welcome at Lomme whenever you need to."

"That is much appreciated," I gave her a nod of approval, but I was afraid she could see that my gesture was only half hearted. We did not need a refuge. We needed an army to drive north toward Kyle Garret, and the Winsome Rose just fitted the bill. But at least we always had a 'plan B' if our drive went haywire in the future. "I hope we can extend our relationship to a more fruitful business in the future."

"Same here," Victor added. He concealed his feelings well, for I could not gauge them from his features. "Our VTOLs will cover your departure until you reach 5 kilos out of the city. That's the range of our Long Tom cannon. Beyond that, you're on your own."

Suddenly, the morning serenity was breached by klaxons, yells, and frantic footsteps of soldiers and technicians all over Lomme. Tactical officers chattered with field commanders and recon units. The drumming steps of battlemechs blended with the high-pitched shrills of tanks tracks, and there was only one reason that could stir such an integrated maneuvers of the Winsome Rose.

The Word of Blake's invasion of Lomme.

"Command Unit, this is Hawkeye One, I have visual contact with Level-3 force," the Winsome Rose VTOL squadron reported. "Bearing two-zero-niner, speed five-oh clicks per hour, heavy and assault mechs."

"This is Kim Chiu, another Level-3's coming from the south," another report came in. "Looks like they're closing our exits, Commanders!"

As Rica and Victor rushed to mobilize their troops, Evee and I watched the tactical map in the briefing room, superimposed with holograms of real-time imaging from the VTOLs. The Shooting Stars duo stood across the table, while Alison, Shinoyama, Kikuchi and Yamada spread out while watching the Word of Blake forces scattered into pockets of Level-2 forces and boxed Lomme from every possible direction. One third of the Blakists consisted of _Vanquishers_, while their escorts ranged from _Gurkha_ to _Viking-3W's_.

If I were to attack a heavily fortified bastion like Lomme, I would concentrate my force into one big column, then dive into the city. I would push the defenders out of the city, thus minimizing my casualties. The Word of Blake, however, closed all exits and moved in to choke us in the center. It was clear that their intention was more than to retake Lomme. They were killing us to the last man.

"They are not taking prisoners, are they?" Zoe stated. "They're punishing us."

"They are punishing the Winsome Rose," Evee replied. "Betrayal is not something that they take lightly."

"They don't even know the meaning of betrayal," Kikuchi spat his repugnance. "They are the one that betray humanity. Let's man our battle stations. I can't wait to sink my katana into their hearts!"

"No, no, wait," I halted the ex Kuritan. "The Winsome Rose had determined to defend Lomme. Perhaps we should give them a chance to prove themselves. And it will save us resources and ammunition, too."

"And what if they decide to fool us?" Shinoyama retorted. "Their history is a testament of their inability to commit to their words. If they return to the Blakists, we're doomed. Done. Dead in vain."

I could see the logic behind Shinoyama's argument. But even if it happened – if the Winsome Rose indeed returned to the Blakists – there was nothing we could do. We could not win against two Level-3 and two-third of a regiment combined. We would die anyhow. So I turned to Evee, "What do you say, Eev?"

"Battle station," she replied cautiously, "but nobody moves. Wait for my signal."

That felt like the best solution for the moment. I joined the rest to the hangar, where we split toward our rides. I switched to my cooling vest and neurohelmet, then clambered my mech. When I reached the cockpit, I linked my HUD to satellite to have a view of Lomme. The comlink was already overflowed with yells and orders from the Winsome Rose commanders.

"I want 2nd Armor Company and Warriors of The Rose on the north," Rica barked her orders. "1st Armor and 2nd BattleMech companies to the west, 3rd BattleMech company to the east. First, we'll take the south front. Give no mercy, people! _Magpadala kanila sa impiyerno ka! Lomme'y atin!_"

The satellite uplink showed the overhead view of Lomme, with friendly units highlighted in blue dots. The Winsome Rose's VTOL company fed the Blakists positions, and my computer superimposed the data as red dots into the view. The reds matched the blues in number, but the Word of Blake units were all battlemechs, whereas the Winsome Rose was a mixed force.

However, the _Padillas_ and Long Tom cannon could stagger the morale of the Blake's force. The Long Tom range was well over radar range of any known battlemechs, and the Arrow IV systems would stop many of the Blakist mechs before they could bring their guns to bear. The survivors – if there were any – would meet torrential Gauss and PPC rain from _Von Luckners_, _Alacorns_, and the majority of Winsome Rose battlemechs.

Simply put: the Word of Blake had the numbers, but the odds were ours.

The Long Tom cannon were placed on the northern part of the city, and as expected, it was the first weapon that fired its fury. The long barrel breathed fire like a dragon, spitting incendiary charges into the clouds. The shells whistled and thumped the ground with the combined force of gravity and explosion. I did not know how the Word of Blake felt about the intermittent hammerings, but if I were on their side, I would get nervous.

The initial shells scattered randomly in between Blakist mechs, but with VTOL guidance, the fourth salvo started to deal damages. Shockwaves and tongues of fire embalmed the _Vanquishers_ with heat blanket, and there was nothing they could do. Their longest weapons were outranged by the Long Toms, and to clear the artillery, they had to send their quicker mechs toward the city.

Luckily, the Blakists were provoked. They pushed their _Blue Flames_ and _Gurkhas_ to the city, while their _Legacies_ and _Grand Crusaders_ crept slowly, trying to find clearings to snipe the Long Tom. But the mercenaries had another ace up their sleeves. Arrow IV batteries started to roar, sweeping the lighter mechs with their calculated shots. Artemis IV and VTOL lookouts turned the missiles into razor-sharp javelins that swept the _Blue Flames_ and _Gurkhas_ like leaves. One by one the Blakists fell, and before the lighter mechs reached 500 meters from the city, they turned back, leaving their fallen comrades behind.

Without the covers of their fast mechs, the _Legacies_ and _Grand Crusaders_ fell into the Long Tom's bombardment. The high explosives raised a heat storm that gradually raised the temperature of the mechs, and the shrapnel started to damage their armors. Fearing the Arrow IV batteries, the assaults chose to turn back, leaving their ambition abandoned, their morale shattered.

"This is Lieutenant Samantha Camitan, bogeys are turning away. Request further directive."

"Back up western flank. Let Major Donelly cover the north."

Indeed, the western front suffered the most intense pressure from the Word of Blake. The 2nd battlemech and 1st armor companies threw everything they've got, yet the Blakists waded through the gale of lasers and ballistics as if it was just a breeze. _Vanquishers_ and _Spartans_ spat their venoms through the hail, while _Vikings-3W_ lobbed their missiles to pepper the defenders' position. Shredded armor and concrete dust jammed the sky, creating momentary overcast that worsened as the Word of Blake bullied their way toward the city.

I did not know why the Word of Blake chose conventional warfare over mass destruction, the only thing that they seemed to excel in. They could've shelled Lomme with Long Toms. They could've saturate-bombed the city with airplanes. Why would they sacrifice mechs, ammunitions, and mechwarriors if their artilleries could do just the same job? I didn't know the answer. Perhaps Lomme held something more precious to them than we knew, and they did not want to hurt it.

Nevertheless, the assault mechs kept pushing through. Relentless cover fire from the defenders caught one or two Blakists, stripping armor and breaching limbs. Missiles and particle cannons made their way to torsos and weapons, and as they got closer, more and more Word of Blake mechs lost weapons. The cloud of dirt kicked by their feet now blended with sparks and smoke from busted limbs.

But the _Vikings_ managed to shoot their missiles over walls and debris, and the Winsome Rose started to take fire. The 1st armor company took the fury of the missiles until the CO ordered a retreat to the center. Thirty percent of the tanks sustained moderate to heavy damage, and half of them were immobilized. The 2nd battlemech company staggered to hold the line after losing the armor support, but the increasing firepower from the Blake's force started to make them crumble.

Just as I thought the line would disintegrate, _Alacorn_ heavy tanks arrived to replace the 1st tank company. There were only 5 of them, but 5 _Alacorns_ were all they needed to stop the advance of the Blakists. In quick succession the Alacorns mauled the center rank of the Blakist formation. Two _Spartans_ were stopped dead in their tracks, another _Vanquisher_ and a _Viking_ met the same fate only a minute later.

Buoyed by the new firepower, the 2nd battlemech company stepped up their attack, concentrating on the _Vikings_ that were the most successful batteries from the Word of Blake force. Fire and smoke blossomed as the _Vikings_ were enveloped by particle, laser, and ballistic shells. Light traces of various colors hammered the _Vikings_, coring their internal structures into gyroscopes and reactors and ammunition storages. The _Vikings_ exploded in brilliant colors, and the survivors quickly retreated, knowing well that continuing advance would lead to massacre.

"I could've done that," Evee commented on the western-front struggle. "My company is fully capable of fire support. We could've taken down the _Vikings_."

"I'm sure you can," I concurred. "But the Winsome Rose do not need our support."

"So we're just sitting here watching the fight?" Shinoyama tuned in. "That's so unlike you, Parker."

"I am sure we can handle these Word of Blakes, but I don't want to waste our ammunitions. Let the Winsome Rose handle it as much as they can. But keep your eyes open and your guns hot. If their defense fails, we'll move in to plug the leak."

"I think you've turned Spheroid more than you realize, honey," Evee chirped.

"What does that mean?" I was thrown off by her comment. "What are you trying to say?"

"Uhm... nothing," I heard her sigh. "Let's just keep our eyes peeled."

The southern front was more pedestrian than the western one. The 1st battlemech company brought all their firepower to bear, and the combination of long range weapons of _Thunderbolt, Thunder Hawk, Black Knight, Nightstar, Victor, Orion, Stalker_, and other long-range bruisers proved to be too much for the Word of Blake. This company was the core of Winsome Rose, consisted of their best mechwarriors in their best battlemechs.

Both sides realized that the southern front belonged to the Winsome Rose. But the Word of Blake did not want to concede without a fight. They pushed their fast mechs forward while their heavies and assaults provided cover fire. It was a textbook strategy, which again confused me since Word of Blake was not known for standard intelligence.

However, it worked best for the Winsome Rose. The long-range mechs kept their guns squarely on the Blakist's heavies and assaults, seemingly ignoring the fast mechs. Under the carpet bombing by the _Vikings_, the mercenaries poured out their Gauss slugs like rain. The _Vikings_ tried to stay out of the Gauss range, but even then they could not escape from the bludgeoning Light Gauss shells. One by one the _Vikings _stumbled, leaving a handful of _Vanquishers_ to cover the fast mechs.

The _Vanquishers_ had the same range as Light-Gauss-laden Winsome Rose, but the ballistics lacked the capability to fly over covers. To get their weapons to work effectively, they had to come within 800 meters and sweep the covers. They had no choice; they had to do it to give the fast mechs a chance. So they did, sacrificing themselves, exposing their armored centers to the Winsome Rose while shooting vainly. And the snipers banqueted upon the _Vanquishers_, peeling their armors with accurate energy shots, then cored the innards with well-timed Gauss and missile fires.

The fast mechs, _Initiates _and _White Flames _and such, geared up full speed at the city, hoping to take on the snipers using their agility and short-ranged firepower. But panic swept them apart when they had to face the mercenary's brawlers. Led by the Clan-made _Night Gyr_, the brawlers cold-started and took on the brunt of the Word of Blake fast mechs close quartered. The Blakists didn't have a chance to adjust, and before they knew it, the fight was over in an anticlimactic slaughter.

"To the east!" I heard Victor cried out. "Rica, I'm taking the Dogs, Horsemen, and Hyperion to reinforce Fatima Foz!"

"Go!" Rica's answer burst through. "I'll hold the fort."

Fatima Foz, the leader of 3rd battlemech company, did not seem to need reinforcement. Her heavies and assaults had the least problem hitting the advancing Blakists from long range, while her mediums and lights waited behind concrete blocks, waiting for ambush should the Blakists came into range.

The Blakists on the east front were similarly comprised of medium to assault mechs, and whoever captained the force employed different tactics than the rest of the group. Instead of pushing their fast mechs forward, they advanced together, hitting the Winsome Rose positions with their missiles and PPC's. This strategy won them fewer casualties than their comrades on the other sides, because the damages were more evenly spread over the members. And their concentrated fire kept the Winsome Rose fighting on its heels, unable to summon a sweeping attack that crippled the Blakists.

But it all changed when Victor arrived with his troops. They came out from the south-eastern part of the city and immediately hammered the Blakist's left flank. Their missiles arc into the sky, leaving white trails of smoke before ramming themselves onto the Blakist's midst. Their PPCs followed suit in straight azure beams, and stabbed the Blakist's mechs on their left side.

The Word of Blake brigade broke down in disarray, trying to deal with the new threat while keeping their focus on the 3rd company up front. They were on the open field, attacked by two forces that were burrowed in the city. The commander did the only choice he had: he split his force into 2. But splitting the force meant reducing the strength. I knew the Blakist leader knew the fact. He was just out of choice.

With less pressure, the Winsome Rose burst into the open and challenged the Blakists for a melee. Gone was the finesse of snipers, substituted by savage bloodlust. But when victory had become an absolution, finesse or brute would not matter anymore. And as a matter of fact, the close-quarter combat was more fun to watch. Of course, as the player, I would do otherwise. But spectator-wise, nothing beats the joy of watching battlemechs destroy each other.

And that was exactly what happened. The Winsome Rose overwhelmed the Word of Blake like a storm, ripping their armor and shredded their flesh like hungry beasts. The Blakes, though valiant, could not stand against the pressure. Their formation buckled, and as the _Spartans_ and _Vanquishers_ fell one by one, the medium mechs opted to run, leaving their bigger comrades at the mercy of the mercenaries.

Thirty minutes later, all Word of Blake battlemechs had been destroyed, confiscated, or gone. I made a quick tally of the salvaged mechs, and there were no less than half a dozen assaults that the mercenaries compiled. The condition was not always pristine, but if they couldn't make use of the mechs, they could always cannibalize them for spare parts. The Winsome Rose rounded up the survivors and brought them to their HQ. No cyborg was spotted among the captives.

The _Thunderbolt-9M_ and _Night Gyr_ approached me, fringed by battle damages, but otherwise in good condition. It felt like yesterday when these two mechs tried to make a pulp out of my _Gladiator_. Now they came to me as allies, and they took the bullets for me. It was amazing how fickle the world of mercenary was.

"My VTOLs reported that the survivors had left the vicinity," Rica gave us sitrep, "at least outside 5 miles radius. However, I strongly suggest you postpone your quest. At least give us a chance to dig information from the POWs. One of them should know something."

"How long?" Evee blurted, sending her impatience throughout the comlink.

"I don't know, maybe two weeks, possibly more," Victor added. "We salvaged 11 mechs total, 5 in working condition. We probably destroyed a dozen more. So they still had a dozen mechwarriors that survive the battle, perfectly know about what we are capable of. If I were you, I'd wait for some time. I'll send the VTOLs to monitor the vicinity, see if they plan on hitting us again."

"He's right, Eev," I said gently. "There's more about the Word of Blake that we don't know. Maybe they're setting up an ambush. Waiting a little while is not a bad idea."

Evee let out a long puff before concurring, "Alright. I'll let Kyle know that it's not going to happen today."

* * *


	13. Chapter 12

**TWELVE**

**Note:** A huge chunk of this chapter was written by Rica (one of **TheGreenKnight63** twin). We tried several ideas to integrate her 3rd-person POV into my 1st-person POV, and this is the result. Both of the GreenKnight twins turned out to be formidable writers, and one could only wonder what's keeping them from posting their works here (hint... hint... Bien, Rica, will it happen?). Anyway, this might be Rica's first foray into fanfic world, so please enjoy and give her lots of encouragement.

_Warrior of the Moon_ is copyright of Eric Boid and Rica Canonizado

* * *

_**City of Lomme,  
**__**Victoria, New Avalon Combat Region,  
**__**Crucis March, Federated Suns,  
**__**March 13, 3075**_

We waited, but the Word of Blake never came back. We slept with one eye opened, but the Word of Blake never came back. We buried Vibromines around the city, but the Word of Blake never came back. We ran busy, back-to-back patrols within 5-mile radius from the city, but the Word of Blake never came back. Now it was time for us to claim the HPG uplink, because we were confident that the Word of Blake would not come back to Lomme.

"Give us 10 minutes head start before you started running," David Malthus chimed through the comlink. "We'll need more time to go through treacherous mountain pass. Maintain radio silence. We'll contact you once we're in position."

"Acknowledged," Evee replied. "Alright Parker, it's your game now. Take us to victory." I heard a click on her comlink, and then she came back through private frequency. "We have some new faces in our force. So far they've gotten along well with others, but I don't know how well they will work during battle. Don't give them too much responsibilities. If you have to make sacrifice, I want you to preserve our old personnel as many as you can."

Some liberated POW's from the reeducation camp were mechwarriors, and now they gladly paid us back by fighting with the Cavaliers. Some of them came as far back as Tortuga Dominion, pirates that thought alliance with the Word of Blake was actually a good idea. Although they could not keep up with Shinoyama's inhumane training, they showed heart. I felt bad for them, knowing that they might never be more than cannon fodders. But I agreed with Evee. I would keep the original Cavaliers as long as I could.

"As you wish," I held no grudge against her command. "Cavaliers! Line abreast in double column! Turn on active sensors and keep your eyes open for enemy units. We are coming hot!"

I knew that the walk to the HPG site would be uneventful, so I drowned myself in observation of the city. The dawn was magnificent as it broke over the timid city of Lomme. The many shops and houses were still silent and passive, after the cold night had passed. Droplets of water were starting to form on the glass window panes of houses from the chill. Peacefully, the people of Lomme slept on in relative bliss in many months, now free from the fanatical domination of the Word of Blake. Its women and children rested in comfort knowing that the Cavaliers had vanquished their nemesis, at least temporarily, when they had been liberated.

The order of the day was a sublime calm for Lomme and all of its citizens, except for a group of 300 individuals now assembled in front of the town hall. As many of the city's inhabitancy slept, these 300 stood awake in stoic and silent vigil watching for their safety.

These were the gathered men and women of the Winsome Rose mercenary regiment, not long ago, they were puppets of the Word of Blake, deceived into betraying their sponsors the vaunted Wolf's Dragoons in exchange for hollow promises of political support regarding the FWL civil war. Many had thought them simply after money, not knowing the "true" reason why they betrayed their original sponsors; but then, no one would have cared, after all, mercenaries were no better than whores who sold their services for any price, in the eyes of many.

But for the two figures at the head of the column who stood at rigid attention, this day was their chance for redemption. Both were clad in a long flowing, loose-fitting robe whose fabric was similar to burlap. Over their shoulders was draped a short red cape that acted as a symbol of their rank, as well as for more practical reasons to protect them from the biting intense cold of early morning. In front of them stood 300 figures, all similarly dressed, standing in a single line that was at least 150 meters long. Each of them now certain of their combined fate in the eyes of whatever God they believed in.

As the taller of the two leading figures removed it's hood, it's face was revealed to be that of a young man, tall and rakishly handsome, with long jet-black hair and a face possessing strong patrician features that spoke of a mixed Asian and Mediterranean heritage. His emerald eyes hawkishly surveyed his command, making sure that most of his troops were ready to ask God for their penance.  
Beside him, stood his partner his twin sister, who possessed similar features to her brother except for her well-bronzed skin, a legacy of her days spent under the sun as an athlete, rather than her brother who pursued more scholarly matters. She was tall, but not as tall as her brother, however it was obvious to any one who could see her body under her robe that she was a very impressive physical specimen; every muscle in her stocky frame was taut, her arms thickly corded with enough flesh to distinguish her as a fencer and a swimmer who focused her training in building-up her upper body strength. She had small pert triangular breasts that lent her figure a less than subtle appearance. Looking upon her face, many would say that she had a passing resemblance to the 21st century actress Anne Hathaway, had they been alive a thousand years ago.

The two were Victor and Rica Canonizado, the leaders of the Winsome Rose.

Many did not know the story of the Canonizado twins outside of the unit they commanded, for many, both Victor and his sister Rica were consummate warriors, but no more, no less. They did not know how the Winsome rose was formed, and for what purpose they stood.

Born to a life of privilege, the Canonizado twins were the prized possession of the "house of the rising moon" one of the most prominent noble families in the Duchy of Oriente in the former FWL. The Canonizado clan had been a part of the order of the Rising Moon ever since man had learned to venture into the stars a thousand years ago. The small yet wealthy family grew in both fame and prestige as the FWL enjoyed its 30 year period of continuous growth after the 4th succession war, and the momentous marriage of Hanse Davion and Melissa Steiner.  
As the only children to be born in the small clan, they were immediately pledged to be "Lunar Knights" in their youth; ostensibly without their consent. They would serve in the Ducal palace, as part of his personal guard the "Comitatus".

The Canonizado had invested in mech-development and was a local subsidiary to Technicron Manufacturing in the world of Savannah. As rich children, both Victor and Rica were raised as befits a scion of a noble house. Their youth were filled with endless memories of hunting in the family's summer retreat in the jungles of Oriente, and with countless balls and fates meant to introduce them to the high-society of the planet.  
All this stupid monotony had changed when both had decided to leave secretly one stormy autumn night to find their own way in this life; after being disillusioned with their lives as apparent breeding-stock for the many noble houses competing for the favour for the Duke of Oriente, the two had enrolled in the Princefield military academy.

Not able to completely escape their parents continuous meddling and intervention, the two had sought a posting with the Elite Oriente Hussars. However, they were still hounded by their families fame; most of their commanding officers refused to put them in any effective capacity as front-line combatants; their days were filled with endless and at times, pointless quests to hunt and chase fictitious pirates in the border with the newly formed Lyran alliance. Having endured three years of this torture, the naturally mercurial tandem had deserted from their primary unit, the 22nd planetary defense battalion of the Oriente Hussars in 3064.

After this, they had been given a chance to be a part of Wolf's Dragoons Sigma Regiment serving with minor distinction in the Chaos March. Their most notable action was on the former Federated commonwealth Planet of Hall when they had helped evacuate the remnants of the 3rd Dismal disinherited from a crushing defeat at the hands of the Stealthy Tigers bandit group.

It was in the violence of this fierce fighting for Harney, the capital city of Hall that both twins had lost their innocence; they had scene too many deaths, had heard their fellow mechwarriors burned alive by inferno rounds, as they screamed over the still working tactical net. Gone was the arrogance of youth, replaced with a cold detachment from reality. Having been left in Hall to cover the retreat of the 3rd dismal disinherited, they were in turn considered "expendable" by their erstwhile sponsors the Wolf's Dragoons.

What no one had counted on was that both twins would survive to fight another day; gathering the combined remnants of three different mercenary factions and one pirate band, the winsome rose was formed. After escaping Hall, they had turned the tide on their former employers and had executed a reverse double cross, betraying the Dragoons to the Word of Blake during the siege of outreach.  
And so, after three years in Word of Blake service, they began to regret their original decision when they personally witnessed the brutality of the Word of Blake. And then, as if on queue, along came me as their convenient way out of their contract from the Word of Blake. Indeed, their fortuitous defeat gave them the excuse they needed to deliberately escape from Blakist employ, and violate their contract without any bad Stigma. After all, they were defeated in an honorary trial that they consciously engaged and honored.

And so, in order to help us, they decided to do the "Right" thing and help protect the people of Lomme, while the Ridinghood Cavaliers and Shooting Stars attacked the HPG station. Knowing full well that Lomme would not fall back into Word of Blake's hands gave us enough room to focus on the HPG. And as the HPG site loomed forward, I could see frantic movements among the structures. Our active radar ticked them like morning alarm.

It was my nature to attack swiftly, but this time my mission was not to overwhelm the Word of Blake. The Cavaliers were the diversionary force for the Shooting Stars as they thrust their crippling strike at Demi Precentor Harbek. Being a diversion and keeping casualties low were paradoxical; one could not survive in other's presence. My only hope was to delay the bloodbath as long as possible, so I opened my general frequency for a trash talk with Harbek. I despised trash talking, but this time it might save lives and resources.

"Demi Precentor Harbek, this is Parker Kerensky from Ridinghood Cavaliers. We have you overwhelmed. Surrender and your lives will be spared. Resist and we will destroy you to the last man."

"Destroy, you said?" someone on the other end of the comlink replied in derogatory tone. "Perhaps you should take a look around before you summoned such a brave but futile word. You make an ass of yourself."

As soon as he stopped talking, battlemech heat signatures started emerging on my radars. They were the same unit that attacked Lomme, now fully replenished and reinforced. They came in from my rear flank, while Harbek's Level-3 unit marched forward, sandwiching the Cavaliers between two Level-3 units.

I always knew that the attack on Lomme was more than an effort to retake the city. Somehow they knew that our target was the HPG. I should have known that our long recovery period gave Harbek time to think. I had to concede that I was outsmarted by Harbek. He was two steps in front of me, and I had to figure out a way to save as many personnel as possible.

But salvation came when I expected it the least. Behind the Word of Blake unit came the Winsome Rose, far away from Lomme as they originally dedicated themselves, but nevertheless drawing a big relieve from me. Each mech was painted practically yet elegantly in a simple rust-on-mint camouflage pattern. This was in severe contrast to the Word of Blake who painted all their mechs in a gaudy white-on-blue despite the practicality of the colours regarding the environment. Upon each mech's right hip was painted the device of the Winsome Rose: a Red Rose upon a triangular azure field super imposed over a striking trident, this was the ancient symbol of the Canonizado Clan that reflected their Hispanic and Maritime traditions from their ancestral home on the Philippine islands. This Heraldic coat-of-arms had been employed by the family for more than a thousand years ever since their Diaspora from earth. And upon each mech's left breast and shoulder was painted the effigy of a howling wolf devouring a crescent moon, the twins had painted this symbol in high-honor of Parker who had given them a chance at redemption. The wolf is an obvious reference to Parker's former clan, while the act of the wolf biting-down upon the crescent moon is a symbol of his rebirth from mercenary to messiah; the redeemer of warriors seeking their lost virtue. Then finally, upon the arm of each mech was emblazoned the Unit's fighting Motto: "He of the Blinding light."

Slowly, the mechs and vehicles deployed in the standard Winsome Rose formation of the "Tersio". This was a loose triangular formation at least 400 meters in length in all three sides; this formation was a compromise to give each mech/ vehicle enough room to maneuver while giving them the benefit of overlapping fields of fire.  
This formation was invented in renaissance France in the Battle of Valmy, 13 centuries ago.  
And so, in perfect unison, the robots and vehicles began to move slowly at a speed of 46 kph, on a direct intercept for the enemy level-3 who were threatening our rear right flank. As they marched into battle, Victor and his sister observed over their long-range radar, that the Word of Blake forces numbering 48 robots plus a support level-2 of 18 tanks were arranged into a more traditional tightly packed diamond formation, this uncreative formation for mechs and tanks were often employed by house Kurita in the 1st succession war. The big problem with this formation was that although it maximized fire into a single area, it made their forward elements slow and easy targets for massed LRM barrage from the Winsome Rose mechs. Well, the commander of the Word of Blake forces must have been an amateur if he deployed his troops in such an overused and predictable formation.

Both siblings slowly executed a smart quarter-turn along with the rest of their command, silently and without rehearsal as they started to march towards their machines, who formed a neat line outside the city's outer defensive wall. They divided themselves into three columns, each heading for their respective assignments whether it be Battlemech, tank/ artillery, or Helicopters.  
Then suddenly like lightning, Victor and Rica deployed their "surprise", the faster robots (mostly _Wasps_ and _Stingers_) of their command suddenly split from the sides of their wedge formation, this effectively surrounded the Blakist forces. Now within half kilometres of each other, the members of the Winsome Rose launched into their battle-chant. This was a special form of singing that helped focus their concentration in a fight; this was often called their "Assault Hymn" that surprised most enemies of the Winsome Rose.  
And so, it came to pass that the Blakist tactical net was disrupted by the sound of more than 300 voices, like a choir of avenging angels singing a song of battle. The melody was both enchanting and haunting, as Rica's angelic voice led the chant who she called the "Warrior of the Moon".

_Along Parker's path they did walk,  
Leaving no stone unturned.  
A battle fought, all but six were lost,  
A final triumph earned._

_A nether tide swept down the pass,  
In search of silver plunder.  
Two hundred strong the mists did cloak,  
Ready with waiting thunder._

_Arching shafts flew aloft in flocks,  
And boulders rained down on the field.  
The tuskers' blood ran red and hot,  
While nary a blade did they wield._

_From yonder bluffs did lightning strike,  
Reaving a scarlet furrow.  
By Art lived, by reflection lost,  
Freestaves laid forever low._

_With cries of rage the Blakists did charge,  
The battle joined at last.  
The waves were dashed upon the rocks,  
And none did ever pass._

_Five score did fall upon each blade,  
Ere the nether tide receded.  
And of the rocks that stood so firm,  
Only bloody sand postceded._

_Along Parker's path they did walk,  
Leaving no stone unturned.  
A battle fought, all but six were lost,  
A final triumph earned."_

As mayhem broke on the Level-3 unit behind me, I returned to Harbek, giving him impression as if the Winsome Rose was part of my plan, "This is your last warning, Demi Precentor. Surrender and live, or resist and die. I am not asking you again."

"Burn in hell, you infidels!" Harbek's voice reverberated on the speaker, and unlike a couple minutes ago, his voice was not adorned with confidence. Only sharp wrath and panic accompanied his outburst. Indeed, I felt the same way a couple minutes ago. I erred in my judgment, just like him. The difference was he had run out of salvation.

Harbek's force came in hot and hard. All 36 mechs threw themselves at us like a tidal wave hammering the shore. There was no time for a coordinated attack. Now every man was for himself, and I paced my mech forward, cutting off a big _Grand Crusader_ that tried to take a shot at Evee's _Longbow_. Its pulse lasers flickered, whipping strands of light at the groggy _Longbow_. I put myself between the two assault machines, blocking most of the laser shots. Molten armor sprayed from my torso, and I sensed a slight tremor on the struts, a clear sign that I lost a bit balance. But a quick nick on the joystick brought back stability to my mech, buying me enough time to realign my targeting reticule squarely on the Blakist's torso.

"Clutz!" Evee groaned, unhappy with my blocking maneuver. "Get out of my way!"

"Well then," I sidestepped, clearing her way. "Shoot!"

The _Grand Crusader_ was still latching on to me when 50 missiles leapt over my shoulder and dove into its midsection. Its AMS roared in fury, picking up the majority of the missiles but the rest shredded the armor on the front torso. Multiple fireballs cored the 80-ton Blakist, tossing burning metal into the air. The Grand Crusader's stout legs stabilized the mech, but the impact sent it reeling backward, throwing away its line of fire.

I picked a spot on its torso and alpha-struck it. A large fireball blossomed on its gut, devouring the charred armor that Evee hit a second ago. I did a quick scan on my HUD and saw its center armor had turned red. Another integrated salvo would certainly cripple the _Grand Crusader_, if not destroying it completely.

The _Grand Crusader_ came back with a vengeance. It fired all weapons, dividing its attention between my mech and Evee's _Longbow_. Its pulse lasers rained down upon me, pumping out more armor from various locations. Its missiles flew straight at Evee's left shoulder. The 85-tonner twisted, coping with the murderous impact of 20 missiles. I could see cracks on the armor as Evee brought it back.

"Kill this Blakist," I hit the alpha strike button again. The sub munitions clawed past the armor and put some dent on the reactor casing. Evee followed up with her missile storm. No locking, no guiding, just a quick burst of missiles from her tubes. The AMS brought down the first few missiles, but in such a short distance, there was not a lot it could do. The armor and internal structure gave way to the swarm, and three consecutive explosions ripped the mech from the inside. The _Grand Crusader_ trembled before stumbling to the ground, smoking profusely from its center torso.

On the rear flank, the Word of Blake force fought violently although they were not an even match against the Winsome Rose. In the open field the mercenary snipers had a field trip picking up Blakists mechs. The snipers, led by Rica in her _Thunderbolt_, employed a cascaded attack that prevented the Blakists to get a clear shot. Everytime a Blakist tried to return fire, another mech hit it from another angle.

And those who survived – bruised and battered – had to fight powerful short-ranged mechs led by Victor in his _Night Gyr_. The brawlers didn't waste time and used their big guns to subdue the Blakists. The sound of LBX and Ultra-autocannons drummed the ground, coupled with explosion sound from Blakist mechs that were swept by the big-bored guns.

The dichotomy of long- and short-ranged proved to be too much for the Word of Blake. As their forces were slowly defeated with very negligible casualties, Victor gave them one last chance to surrender by making a final broadcast over the tactical net: "Enemy forces you have two choices, fight or die? It is that simple, so what will it be, Deal or no deal?"

The Blakists were fanatics but they were not blind. The rear Level-3 unit had lost 60-percent of assets, and the rate of death increased with each fallen mech. They knew they could not win the fight. Half of the survivors surrendered, shutting down and exiting their mechs. The other half, mostly light to medium mechs, chose to run away. They had the speed anyway.

On the front part, Harbek's force fought a stalemate against the Cavaliers. It was clear that this Level-3 force was more experienced than the rear one. No side gained clear advantage, and both sides lost personnel at equal rate. The Cavalier's new recruits showed their value, but Harbek could spot them among the original members of Cavaliers, and made the most of their mediocrity. His _Highlander_ had killed an _Enfield_ and a _Quickdraw_, and now was tearing out a _Tempest_, another new member of the Cavaliers.

"Eev, smite the _Highlander_!" I yelled. Evee disengaged her enemy and shifted her twin tubes 20-degree up before unleashing a cloud of missiles. Her command lance followed her action, firing waves after waves of salvo to Harbek's _Highlander_ as it cornered the hapless _Tempest_. The missiles fell on the _Highlander_ like a gale, scourging armor on every part of the mech.

Harbek never saw who hit him, or he just didn't pay attention. When he turned around to retaliate, he only saw Kikuchi and his _Drillson_. He trained all weapons on the _Drillson_ and hit his alpha strike. It happened so fast. I was out of range, and I just about to warn Kikuchi when his _Drillson_ went to the sky, propelled by joules of burst from the ammunition explosion. Harbek's shots ripped Kikuchi's weak side and turned his ammunition bins into a raging inferno. The battlefield was full of explosions, but to me it was as if there was only one explosion in the entire plain. Kikuchi's _Drillson_ dissolved into a white light.

"NO!" I heard Evee screamed, amidst burst of Japanese from Shinoyama and Yamada. I knew their pain, and I knew their immediate need to avenge Kikuchi. I barked my orders to rein them in, but they did not listen. They gunned their engines through the thickets of battle and dove straight at Harbek. I knew, as well as they knew, that two _Drillsons_ were not strong enough to kill a _Highlander_. But they might have disregarded the fact and would do anything to kill Harbek. And that was what I feared the most.

Fortunately, the Shooting Stars arrived at the most critical time. David's long-range missiles arched in the air before slamming into Harbek's back. About two dozens more continued peppering Harbek's rear armor. Thin layers turned into shards, and smoke billowed from the _Highlander's_ back.

Harbek turned and readied his guns to deal with the new menace, but Shinoyama and Yamada sank well-time salvos into Harbek's back. Sparks burst from the wound, and Harbek started to get flustered. He turned again, only to find Shinoyama and Yamada had split. Evee and David fired in unison, trapping Harbek between two missile waves. Evee's missiles met sufficient resistance from the _Highlander's_ front armor, but David's breached the structures and blasted the power lines. Three mini explosions staggered the 90-ton mech, and it toppled like a timber log.

Losing their leader – and the realization that the Word of Blake had been overwhelmed – prompted the remaining Blakist to cease fire. Shinoyama and Yamada exited their _Drillsons_ with their katanas and climbed onto the lifeless _Highlander_. They opened the hatch, dragged Harbek out of the cockpit, and sank their katanas into his midst. Harbek might have been dead already, but everybody understood their need to retaliate, to desecrate the body of their friend's murderer. Nobody moved or said anything as the two ex-Kuritans hacked the Word of Blake to pieces.

* * *


	14. Chapter 13

**THIRTEEN**

**Note: **We are halfway to the end. At this point this story has received 2650+ hits and 64 reviews. I can't thank you enough for you readers that follow this story arc up to this point. It feels nice to be appreciated, and it makes me want to write more although the schedules don't always go the way I wish. But don't worry, I will see the end of this journey, and so will you. Hopefully you are as entertained as I am.

This chapter is sort of a down chapter before the main battle scenes. Well, the characters need to rest too. I also introduce a new character, Major Jayne Dixon. He is a crossover between Jayne Cobb (_Firefly_) and Dave Dixon (_SG1_), both are played by Adam Baldwin. I think **MosinM38** will like him. Think of him as my gift for sticking with me.

* * *

_**HPG Station,  
**__**Victoria, New Avalon Combat Region,  
**__**Crucis March, Federated Suns,  
**__**March 19, 3075**_

The last engagement, though costly, provided us with lucrative salvage. The Winsome Rose had gone back to Lomme, towing half a dozen Blakist mechs of various weights. The Cavaliers confiscated 5 intact mechs from the Word of Blake, in exchange of 4 Cavalier's mechs, 2 _Drillsons_, and 20 lives. The fallen mechs were damaged beyond repair, but since we obtained 5 more, the asset loss was negligible. It was the loss of Kikuchi that dominated the psychological damage to the Cavaliers. Morale was low, because if a combat-savvy warrior like Kikuchi could die, then everybody would die.

Giving eulogy was never an easy task. I remembered when I did it for Kangpae: the awkward moment still lingered in my mind. Now I had to repeat that awkwardness. I had never been good in emotional words, especially in a parting rite. I guessed my past played a large part in my speech mediocrity. Death in Clan society was as usual as life itself. The human connection between warriors was not as tight as in the Inner Sphere. They were warriors, and warriors died. It was always as simple as that.

Here in the Inner Sphere, warriors were humans. The loss of a soul weighed more than the loss of assets, armors, or even battlemechs. Victor Davion succumbed into a deep depression when his lover was assassinated. He abandoned his troops as if none of them had any value to him anymore. Similar things happened here in the Cavaliers. Kikuchi was widely loved and respected as a mentor and a professional. Every single member of Ridinghood Cavaliers gathered to give him the final respect.

"Why don't you do it?" I whispered to Evee as we gathered at the remnants of Kikuchi's _Drillson_.

"I can't, dammit..." Evee's breath was heavy, straining to conceal her sobs. "I just can't."

I had never fully understood human feelings. Not that I lacked one, but how it transcended into something larger than life was beyond me. When I looked into Shinoyama's and Yamada's eyes, I saw death. The agony of despair and wrath blended into a storm so dark I could not see any hope in them. They were dead... dead with his friend. They wanted nothing more than to die, taking as many as the Word of Blake with them.

I could not let it happen, but I was afraid I was powerless to stop it.

"Words cannot express the loss I feel," I started the eulogy. The quicker it passed, the better. "Kikuchi is an irreplaceable member of Ridinghood Cavaliers. Nobody will stand in his place, here or in our heart. He, as well as our new members, died fighting for what they believed. No death will be vain. That much I promise you."

Awkward. I could never summon a good word for eulogy. But was there ever a good eulogy? I did not know. So after I finished, I grabbed the torch and flung it toward the wrecks of the _Drillson_ and several mechs that was lost during the battle. The fire quickly flared into a gigantic bonfire, feasting up on myomer bundles and coolants from the mechs. At least we could give Kikuchi and other fallen comrades a warrior's funeral.

As the Cavaliers dismissed themselves one by one, I traded glances with Shinoyama and Yamada. I didn't expect nice treatment, but what I saw was malice. They were ready to battle, to _banzai_, to _kamikaze_, or whatever they called it in their dictionary. I knew they would do it as soon as the next dawn. I did not doubt their combat prowess, but headhunting in Word of Blake ground was suicide, and I didn't want another dead warrior.

I moved to talk to them but Evee held my hand. "No," she muttered. "Just don't."

"They will execute a ritual to avenge Kikuchi," I huffed, "and it will be suicidal. I think you know it too."

"Yes, I know," she heaved a long breath. "But their grieving is different than ours. Saying the wrong word will only inflame them. If you want to defuse the situation, say nothing. I will deal with them."

Well, I was going to tell them that I was sorry for the loss, that they could turn their anger into battle spirit, but not by going out on a mindless rampage. But Evee was right. I didn't have her subtlety, and my choice of words might make things worse. After all, I was the hotheaded one. How could they accept words of tranquility from me? Evee had better understanding about human lives than me, and she was their 'surrogate mother'. They'd listen to her.

"Alright," I conceded. "Just make sure they don't lose their mind over grieving. I need them sharp."

"I know." Evee tapped my hand, then stormed off to meet the two young ex Kuritans. "I know."

I let myself sink into my thoughts in front of the bonfire, until the majority of the Cavaliers left in vigil. It was late, and everybody wanted to forget what happened. I was blessed with very little emotional capacity, so I could keep my logic straight during pitched battle. It was the way the Clan made me. But now, I did not know if it was a blessing or a curse, because feeling distressed was better than feeling nothing at all. It was human to feel, and I had yet to feel deep emotional feeling like Shinoyama and Yamada.

I had not been a complete human without feelings.

* * *

_**HPG Station,  
**__**Victoria, New Avalon Combat Region,  
**__**Crucis March, Federated Suns,  
**__**May 29, 3075**_

At long last, we finally saw what we were here for. Under the shadow of night, the main bulk of the Shooting Stars made it to the HPG Station; battered, low on ammunitions, but nevertheless intact. It was not an easy task to keep high morale in such a difficult state, but Kyle and Natalie did an exemplary job. For a moment, Evee and I could take a breath of relieve, knowing that we were not too late.

Kyle led the Shooting Stars in his _Mad Cat Mk.II_. I found it funny that although the 90-ton machine was a revamp of the venerable _Timber Wolf_, it did not inherit the Clan name due to the fact that Diamond Shark intended to sell it to Inner Sphere forces. Kyle's mech was in a fair condition, riddled with pockmarks, but seemed to be good enough for another battle or two. The problem was its weapons which Kyle said had all run out of ammunition.

As Kyle climbed down his mech, Evee waited impatiently, shifting from one leg to another. When Kyle touched the ground, Evee lunged and threw herself at him. The two met in a long embrace, acknowledging each other's presence and congratulating each other's survival over the Word of Blake, despite its overwhelming strength. Zoe, David, and the rest of their lancemates greeted Kyle with their salutes, which Kyle returned casually.

"You must be nuts coming down here," Kyle commented. "Victoria is different than New St. Andrews, and I don't think you know what you're getting yourself into... not until you see them yourself."

"That's true, but I survive, don't I?" Evee grinned from ear to ear. "It'll take more than Manei Domini to bring me down, just like it'll take more than Manei Domini to bring you down. You hang on this long, Kyle. I think we both are cocky enough to claim that we still have a lot more to bring against the Word of Blake. And you should've been thankful I brought my unit with me. What are you gonna do if we don't get the HPG for you?"

Kyle looked into her eyes, thinking what he should do next, but decided to shove Evee's shoulder in a playful manner. "You _are_ nuts." He turned to me, and his response was somewhat more accepting. "And you don't have the power to stop her from doing what she wants, do you, Parker?"

"No," I shook my head, smiling. "I was going to come here by myself, but she wouldn't let me."

"In any case, you are right," Kyle nodded his approval. "Thank you for coming. The Word of Blake cut us off from chain of command. We lost several good men, but we manage to hang on. We have to contact Victor Davion or Devlin Stone so they know we are here and, hopefully, send down reinforcement." He paused briefly, then turned to Evee, "How's your unit?"

"As you may expect from a front line unit," she replied in a sigh. "We lost Kangapae earlier, then Kikuchi during the fight for the HPG. The former was hard for me, the latter was hard for Shinoyama and Yamada. I had to rein them in from going _banzai_. We lost half of our original members, but we liberated a reeducation camp at Lomme. Some of the POWs are mechwarriors or armor crews. They fit in nicely. After all, who doesn't want a piece of the Word of Blake after what it had done to them?"

"Good, good," Kyle nodded. He turned to his lieutenants, "Good sprit, all of you?"

"SNAFU good, Sir," Zoe answered in a quick jest. "We got help from another mercs, the Winsome Rose, earlier at Lomme. They blasted the Blakists twice. But they will only fight at Lomme in exchange of full salvage right. They will fight with us if we can pay them more."

"For all it's worth, they extend our ground," I tuned in. "Lomme is ours, and now the HPG uplink is ours. They are covering our back, so we only need to go forward."

"That's what I think, too," Kyle nodded. "The Word of Blake unit on Victoria is a reserve, or back up if you will, for their front liners at New Avalon. Their whole campaign is driven from a large encampment 45 clicks north of here. If we can hit that base, Victoria is ours. However," again, he paused briefly, "It's going to take us a lot more than what we have now to overwhelm that base. We need more men, more firepower, and more ammunition. With the Winsome Rose out of question, our only hope is reinforcement from out of world."

"While Victor Davion and Devlin Stone concentrated their forces at more strategic realms, Victoria might not be their first priority," I stated the obvious. "We cannot depend on reinforcement alone."

"Sure," Kyle mused. "Alright, I'll work on the reinforcement. If we can't get it, then we'll bring the fight to Lomme. The Word of Blake is easy to trap. If we retreat to Lomme, they'll think that we are falling. They will swarm Lomme like flies. Then we can pit them with the Winsome Rose while we regroup. But let's talk about the detail later. Right now I have to send a message to Victor or Devlin."

"I will take you there," I gestured him to follow me. The main building was very close to the mech parking area. As we entered the building, Kyle quickly worked on one of the terminals. I glanced over his shoulder to see what he was writing:

_Victoria, May 29, 3075  
__To Victor Davion or Devlin Stone_

_My Liege,  
__I am honored to report that the 160th Davion Guards are alive and well. We have been cut off from your command for a long time because the Word of Blake captured the only working HPG station at Victoria, and we are unable to retrieve it back until now. We maintain good spirit and fighting morale although casualties are in the high end. But I am confident that the Word of Blake experiences the same level of casualties, possibly more.  
_

_I have pinpointed the location of Word of Blake main base. The 160th Davion Guard is within striking distance, but we lack the ammunition and resources to proceed. We will need reinforcements to commence the attack. It sounds too much to ask, but I can assure you that the result of wiping out the Word of Blake from Victoria can make tremendous impact on your New Avalon campaign.  
_

_Let us know what is coming, so we can plan our next step accordingly. We will always fight on with you._

_In Davion's name,  
__Major Kyle Garrett._

"I hope that's enough to convince Victor or Devlin to send some young faces down here," Kyle said as he pressed the Send button. "That's all we need: young mechwarriors that are not afraid to die and follow orders without questions."

"Life is so much simpler if money or politics are not involved," I quipped.

"That, my friend, is the recipe of living happily ever after," Kyle grinned widely. "Now let's meet up with Natalie and the rest of the Shooting Stars. We have a lot to catch up."

* * *

_**HPG Station,  
**__**Victoria, New Avalon Combat Region,  
**__**Crucis March, Federated Suns,  
**__**August 3, 3075**_

I was a little skeptic about reinforcements. Taking control of the HPG station exposed us to information across the Inner Sphere, and we learned that the War on Terror of the Word of Blake had taken a full swing. From major worlds like New Avalon or Tharkad, to unheard periphery nations, the fire of war did not leave any places unscathed. Even the Clans jumped in to fight the Word of Blake. Humanity had engulfed in the most brutal war it had ever seen, and it was highly unlikely that Victor Davion or Devlin Stone would set their eyes on Victoria.

But I was gladly proven wrong. The relieve came in the morning, buried under traffics of news and messages about Jihad war.

_Major Garrett,  
__The Claymore Company of 2nd Robinson Rangers is on your way. Major Dixon is a staunch Davionist. He served under Tancred Sandoval during the FedCom Civil War. The rest comprise of young but eager mechwarriors that you can use to your greatest extent:_

_Claymore Company, 2nd Robinson Rangers  
__Regular/Reliable  
__CO: Major Jayne Dixon  
__Command Lance: 4 TNS-4S Thanatos  
__Fire Lance: 2 BSW-X1 Bushwacker, 2 UZL-2S Uziel  
__Scout Lance: 2 RVN-4L Raven, 2 OW-1 Owens _

_I also sent 1500 tons of ammunitions, equipments, and logistics. My apologies, I cannot send you more experienced units as I need them on New Avalon campaign. But I believe Tancred when he says the Claymore Company is ready to engage the Word of Blake. Good luck and God speed, Major. All the best for you._

_Yours,  
__Victor _

"So... another string of inexperienced cadets, huh?" Evee huffed, visibly disappointed by the fact that the new Davion unit might be an inadequate reinforcement. "I was hoping we could get Davion power players here."

"Like who? Rudolph Shakov? Archer Christifori?" Natalie quipped. "You read Victor yourself. He needs those guys to be on his front, either New Avalon or Tharkad or any other major worlds. That, if they are still alive. We are lucky to have Dixon. We are lucky to have reinforcement at all."

"In case you haven't noticed, Eev," Kyle added, "_we_ are Davion's power players. We are Victor's extension in this world, and it's up to us to retake Victoria from Word of Blake." He stopped a moment, reading the message with utmost diligence. "We're it, Eev. You, me, Natalie, and Parker. We're not Shooting Stars and Ridinghood Cavaliers anymore. We are Davions. We are humans against the toaster worshippers."

"How good is this Dixon?" I tried to make use of the new unit.

"Like Victor said, he's a Robinson Ranger," Natalie explained. "He started as Claymore's scout early on FedCom Civil War, then moved up in rank as many leftenants were killed during 2nd and 3rd Robinson clash. He is a pitbull; once he put his sight on an enemy, he won't let go until the enemy is disposed."

"But as a true military personnel, he follows orders," Kyle continued. "That's what he's best at. He'll die carrying your order, whether it make sense to him or not. Sure, he'll question it, but he'll do it anyway. Just imagine him like a one-dimensional version of Rudolph Shakov."

"And his subordinates?"

"Follow Dixon's order. Control Dixon, and you'll control the Claymore Company."

"And I guess you will control him, will you not?"

Kyle smiled when replying, "We are the power players, remember?"

"Hell, why not?" Evee smiled, nodded, and traded look with me with a glimmer of delight in her eyes. I saw that she liked her new role as Davion's power player. "Until they come, we are stuck with salvages from our previous engagement. My techs had captured some weapons, parts, and ammunitions that will help us fight off the Word of Blake, in case they try to recapture the HPG."

"I have no doubt that they will," Kyle summarized the meeting. "We need to assign patrol runs along the HPG. The Blakes will not let us sit comfortably on this site for too long."

* * *


	15. Chapter 14

**FOURTEEN**

_**HPG Station,  
**__**Victoria, New Avalon Combat Region,  
**__**Crucis March, Federated Suns,  
**__**February 3, 3076**_

The news about the Claymore Company brought hope to the Cavaliers and Shooting Stars, but the realization was not always smooth. One could expect that the fresh troops and ammunitions would add tremendous punch to the weary companies, but timing was a different matter. And we could not discount the Word of Blake intelligence. They knew we controlled the HPG, they should know that we asked for help. Even the most rudimentary warrior knew that we would be doubled in strength when the reinforcement came, and the Word of Blake was no different. If they had to strike, the time was now.

And they did.

"Hawk Actual, this is Hawk One," Alison's voice lit up the communication room. "Bad news, Eev. Word of Blake is making their move. Two Level-3 armor units are heading your way, bearing one-oh-three point seven, 50 kph, ETA 10 minutes. _Myrmidons_ and LRM Carriers with _Demolisher II_ supports. There are more crawlers than you can believe."

"_Demolishers_," Natalie mused while observing the tactical map. "They're pretty serious about retaking the HPG. Whoever controls communication, controls the war."

"Then let's not lose our control over the war," Kyle started stripping his uniform to don his cooling vest. "All hands, man your battle stations. This is not a drill, I repeat, this is not a drill! The Word of Blake is coming, and we'll give them hell!"

Together we changed to our mech gears and ran to the field where most of our subordinate had been waiting on their mechs. I gave Evee a quick pat before clambering into my cockpit. Salvage from the Blakist mechs proved to be handy; although they were not properly welded to my mech, they would surely give enough protection against enemy firepower.

"The Blakes are still 3 clicks away," I heard Kyle spoke through the speaker. "We scramble them midway. Do not let them get in range with the HPG. We cannot afford to lose it."

"Acknowledged," I throttled up to maximum speed. My Cavaliers blended with the Shooting Stars in a disordered mass, trying to cut off the Blake force before their guns reached firing distance at the HPG station. The _Drillsons_ and light mechs quickly left the pack, while the heavyweights gunned their engines in a vain attempt to keep up with their comrades.

It didn't take long for us to make visual contact with the Blake. They arranged themselves in in-line formation with the _Demolishers_ as their front flank. The _Myrmidons_ and LRM launchers strode a couple dozen meters behind them. Smart formation. The Blakist knew the _Myrmidons_ and LRM launchers would not stand a chance against battlemechs, so they put their brawlers in front to hold the mechs, while their PPC and missiles harassed the mechs.

"Fire at will!" I commanded, lowering my targeting reticule to one of the _Demolishers_. "Hit them from long range! Watch out for their cannons!"

At full-hundred ton, the _Demolisher II_ carried equal armor to most assault mechs. Its wide body and sluggish movement made it an easy target, but its twin Class-20 autocannons were murderous for any mechs, just like its namesake. Only long-range engagement was advisable against these bruisers. Fortunately for us, most of the Cavalier's mechs carried long-range weapons.

As soon as I entered 800-meter limit, I cut back my throttle and fired my lasers at the nearest _Demolisher_ _II_. The front armor glowed in red, gilded with droplets of molten armor. But it marched on as if nothing happened. Evee's company followed my lead, cutting back their advance and used their ranged weapons to rain down fire upon the _Demolisher_ rank. PPC bolts, autocanon tracers and missile javelins turned the air into jaded smog. Each one carried enough power to scourge the armor of the _Demolishers_. Fireballs of various size and colors burgeoned along the hull of the tanks. Splinters geysered into the air as high as 30 meters, covering the plain with superheated debris.

Yet the _Demolishers_ trundled on, undaunted like a walking fortress. They were still far from their effective range, and they were swallowing bombs without a chance to return fire, but they maintained formation. Soon the _Myrmidons_ and LRM carriers entered their firing range. As firing solutions were set, PPC bolts and missile strikes began to pour into our ranks. They came like a drizzle at first, but as more tanks came into range, the downpour turned into a blizzard of missiles and PPC bolts.

I try to keep my focus on the _Demolisher_, but it became increasingly difficult under the fierce bombardment of the Word of Blake. My console screamed until my ears were numb from constant proximity alert and rocking explosions. The rushed armor welding proved to be quite handy against the attack, but with intense salvos, it quickly broke down into cracks and fragments. Each explosion brought tremors to my lanky mech, and the constant hammering kept on throwing off my aim. Soon the air became so blurred I could not see anything within a dozen meters. I had to rely on radar, and I did not like it.

We had to get out of this situation fast. The _Demolishers_ were crawling closer, and our ability to return fire deteriorated from the missile fire. I kept my scores with the _Demolisher_, but now I could not visually gauge the impact my weapons made to the big tank. My radar stated that its front armor had been stripped almost completely and the speed had been reduced to 35 kph at 450 meters. I had been relying on visual contacts alone, and now I was forced to rely on my radar. As dependable as it was, I would love to have both.

Man-made bolts zipped left and right, and two landed on my right shoulder. The particle charges disabled my radar momentarily, and the impact staggered my mech. I felt the weight shifted to the heels, and I had to backpedal to compensate it. Then two or three missiles slammed home at the same place. In a confusing battle like this, it was impossible to see who was responsible for the strike. But I could care less about who hit me. The impact pushed me a little further behind, and my right torso had been shredded.

As my weapons recycled, I realigned my targeting reticule to the _Demolisher II_, and realized it was not the closest threat to me anymore. Another _Demolisher II_ had reached 350 meters, but was seemingly busy with other mechwarriors. I sent my lasers into the cloud, peppering the hull of the first _Demolisher_, then throttled up to the closest tank. From my radar I saw that I came from its broad side while its turret was locked on a mech on my left.

I knew that I was taking a great risk by charging the _Demolisher II_, but I could not let the opportunity pass. As I closed in at 250 meters, I let go of my cannons. The LBX-20 twins barked in unison, giving my mech a slight recoil while spitting their sub munitions at the 100-ton tank. A series of mini explosions blitzed in the murky air, confirming direct hit, but again I could not confirm its damage beyond what my radar told me. I followed up with my lasers, and the tank seemed to sustain too much damage. It arched wildly to its right before coming to a screeching halt.

Meanwhile, the _Demolisher _I had been engaging now made a mad dash at me. Quickly closing on 350 meters, it blasted its twin autocannons. My right hip suffered a tremendous impact, but being shot at 350 meters away, the fragmented shells did nothing more than ripping the first few layers of ferro-fibrous. My armor tracker was still in the green zone, although the shockwave made it look like it was worse than what it was.

I figured there was only one solution for the _Demolisher_. Recalibrating my gyroscope, I turned right and charged the tracked behemoth. Since it just fired its main weapons, it had to wait for reload. As soon as my guns were ready, I pumped up an alpha strike. I could not see what I hit, but it did not matter. A large bonfire swept the spot where the _Demolisher_ was, turning the dim vicinity into a brief daylight. I saw the turret took off about 20 meters before turning over and slammed into the ground.

Another set of missiles came inbound. I flexed my knees to dodge it, but even then I knew I couldn't miss all of them. A handful of them swarmed and hammered my left arm. My left LBX was flung to the far left, fortunately still attached to the upper arm, but I did not know if impact put some buckling stress onto the internal structure. My upper torso twisted, turning my cockpit to face the sky. The left arm lost a ton of armor which dissolved into the thick smog as metal shrapnel.

I pulled my mech up and lined up with the nearest threat, which happened to be a _Myrmidon_. The fact that a _Myrmidon_ came mingling among the _Demolisher II's_ started making me nervous. _Myrmidons_ were supposedly to engage us from long range, and the smoke had probably blinded them. But what if the Word of Blake employed an unorthodox strategy? What if the _Myrmidons_ were used in a different role than what they were designed to do?

But I didn't have time to think about possibilities. There was a threat in front of me, and I had to neutralize it before it did damage to me or to others. I trained my weapons at it when it flashed its PPC. An azure light whipped from the turret, bolted to singe me but missed just an inch to the left. I sidestepped the attack while preparing for my answer. A quick nick on the trigger and my twin LBX barked again. The _Myrmidon's_ turret exploded in brilliant flash. A big chunk of the turret flew and rammed my mech on the waist, carving a dent and a boisterous twisting sound.

Firing two consecutive LBX cannons overloaded my mech with waste heat, and I felt my sweat beaded on my face. I reversed the throttle, making my mech backpedal until I had clear vision of the battlefield. The _Myrmidons_ and LRM carriers had fallen right onto the _Demolisher_ rank, creating a very confusing engagement. The Shooting Stars and 1st company of Ridinghood Cavaliers were locked in the close-quarter combat, while Evee's 2nd company stopped firing lest their fire support fell upon Cavaliers comrades.

A quick analysis of the battlefield prompted me with the fact that we were not executing a smart strategy. The Shooting Stars and Cavalier's 1st and 3rd Companies could hold on against the Blakists, even the _Demolishers_, but Evee's company was not engaging at all. We should be able to crush the Blakists easily, but the Blakists knew how to neutralize our advantage. They moved inside our column, _grabbed us by the belt_, thus avoiding casualties from the artillery.

"Eev, take them at close range!" I motioned Evee to move forward.

"No, we're gonna hit friendlies in such close range," a glint of hesitation sprung in Evee's reply.

"Then move on top of them and aim low," I suggested. "Target the _Demolishers_. Leave the _Myrmidons_ for my company."

It was a little risky bringing the 2nd company to engage a close quarter melee. They were trained as a long-range fire support who relied on their marksmanship rather than brute power and agility. But this situation necessitated unorthodox counter measure. The Word of Blake pushed their _Myrmidons_ and LRM carriers forward for close range battle and gained limited momentum from it. Why couldn't we?

"Follow my lead!"

Once again I throttled up and dove into the confusing battle, which had cleared up a bit. Two LRM carriers blocked my path, sending a menagerie of missiles down my track. I torso-twisted and leaned toward my right, letting the missiles past my torso, but half a dozen of them rammed themselves squarely on my chest. The impact worsened my tilted stance, and I felt my mech swaying like a timber log, ready to fall. I yanked my joystick as hard as I could to the other direction. My mech groaned in sickening twist, sustaining thousands of shear loads on the gyroscope while the myomer strained to maximum, holding the mech upright.

But I prevailed against gravity. In a quick sequence my mech came back up, square on its feet, facing the two LRM carriers who panicked as their tubes reloaded. I spread my arms, pointing one LBX cannon at each carriers, then let them roar. One LRM carrier blew up immediately, the other caved in by the LBX shells, but managed to hang tough. I turned to face it and stabbed my lasers right into its caved hull. The armor could not hold the energy burst. The tracked launcher turned into a scorching heap of metal.

I sensed some hesitation when Evee's company followed me. But seeing how easy the two LRM carriers went aflame, they gained confidence and made their runs toward the battle. Missiles, autocannons and lasers wrapped the _Demolisher II's_, and despite the tanks' attempt to return fire, they were overwhelmed. Their armors, flogged by the mechs, could not sustain the firepower Evee's company brought unto them. One by one the _Demolishers_ blasted after giving fierce yet futile resistance.

As the _Demolisher_ column breached, the _Myrmidons_ and LRM carriers regrouped, moved past the _Demolishers_, and sped up toward the HPG uplink. The _Myrmidons_ could still turret-twist and sprayed their PPC to keep us at bay, but the LRM carriers set their tubes toward the HPG antennae and gunned their engines, ignoring even our deadliest shots.

This move caught us off guard, but I could anticipate such a move. If they could not control the HPG site, no one could. Harbek made a blunder when he didn't destroy the HPG when his task force was beaten, and this task force would make sure it did not happen again.

"They're heading for the HPG site!" Kyle yelled over the comlink. "Burn them!"

The Shooting Stars and the Cavaliers turned around and raced the Blakists toward the HPG. I lined up my lasers at the farthest _Myrmidon_ I could hit, then shot its hull. The rear armor turned red and metal droplets filled the air, then splattered as if the tank was leaking oil. The _Myrmidon_ would not go down easily. It turret-twisted and returned fire, grazing my left shoulder guard. I smelled the acrid smoke of burning ferro fibrous seeping into the cockpit. The tank tried to pull away from me, but my lasers and its own PPC cranked the heat level to shutting down zone. As it decelerated, I gained ground and shot it again at the same spot. This time my lasers drilled through the skin and incinerated the engine. Fire belched from the wound, and the crew jumped out to safety.

But my top speed was only 65 kph. Our faster mechs sustained moderate damages from fighting the _Demolishers_, and our heavier mechs couldn't keep up with the tanks. The tanks pulled away, despite getting mauled by our long range weapons. Two _Myrmidons_ managed to pull a 1-kilometer gap between them and the fastest mech on our rank.

Reaching firing distance, the two Blakists quickly speared the HPG antennae with their PPC's. Twin azure bolts raked the command center, a small boxy building just in front of the HPG antennae. The building disintegrated in a drab cloud of dust, raining debris among technicians and tactical officers that ran about to find cover. Sure enough, our communication line with outside world was cut off again.

"Somebody kill those sonsofbitches before they get the antennae!" I heard Kyle screaming.

"We're on it," Shinoyama replied before gunning his hover tank, followed by Yamada and half a dozen _Drillsons_. Quickly getting into range, the hover tanks launched missiles and laser assaults at the _Myrmidons_. The missiles tore apart the armor on the rear, carving gaping holes on the hull. Their lasers went smoothly into the generators and ammunition bins. One Myrmidon breached into three parts, ripped by internal explosion. The other one bled fire, teetering in the brink of annihilation, but somehow refused to die.

Shinoyama and Yamada rained down everything they'd got, ripping the _Myrmidon_ piece by piece, but somebody inside the tank was very determined to finish the job. As the 40-ton tank skidded in a cloud of smoke, its turret swiveled to line up the gun with the HPG antennae. One burst was all it needed to bring down the antennae.

"If that's the way it has to be," Shinoyama stated, "take care of Alison for me."

"No!" I realized what he was trying to do, but I was too far away to do anything. "Shinoyama, let it go!"

But Shinoyama, and maybe Yamada too, never intended to get out of Victoria alive after they lost Kikuchi. I saw it in their eyes. They had all intention to avenge their dearest friend, to spoil every attack by the Word of Blake, and to make the Blakists miserable in any possible way. It was a strange code of honor, but it might not be a code of honor after all. It might just be the strong bond between the three of them.

So Shinoyama geared up and rammed his _Drillson_ into the _Myrmidon_ wreck. The front hull of Shinoyama's _Drillson_ shoveled the _Myrmidon_ off the ground, tilting the turret up just as it fired off. The PPC burst sailed harmlessly into the sky. But the crash was too much for both tanks. The _Myrmidon_ exploded first, followed by the _Drillson_ in what seemed like a fireball contest. The burning splinters pelted the antennae, creating minor fires here and there, but nevertheless it survived the onslaught.

"Holy Mary..." Evee whispered in my ears, swallowing the shock. It happened so fast that even I still didn't believe that Shinoyama had gone. The _Myrmidon_ was the last one we had to kill, but it just had to take Shinoyama with it. It seemed impossible, but it did happen.

"Oh my God! Oh my God!" Alison screamed and sprinted toward the crash site, but found nothing that she hoped. Her _Assassin_ wandered aimlessly as if the legs had their own mind. She sobbed and mumbled incoherently, calling out names while circling the crash site.

"Ah, damn!" Kyle stood idle next to me. "I'm sorry you have to lose him."

"Me too," I replied, watching Evee's _Longbow_ moved toward Alison's _Assassin_. I did not want to be the one that talked to Alison when she was in this state, so it was better for Evee to handle it. I felt sorry for Evee too. She spent most of her energy to keep the Cavaliers sane, after loosing one leader after another. But I guessed it was the curse of being a leader. The unit was only as strong as the weakest member. "Me too."

* * *


	16. Chapter 15

**FIFTEEN**

_**HPG Station,  
**__**Victoria, New Avalon Combat Region,  
**__**Crucis March, Federated Suns,  
**__**February 8, 3076**_

_War is a crime. Just ask the dead. _It was an old saying, probably millenniums old, but stayed true through the test of time, because of human's affinity to war. I was sure that Kangpae, Kikuchi and Shinoyama would agree to that. And I was sure that even Alison would agree to that.

Losing lives in a war was the hardest grief anyone could endure, especially someone special like Shinoyama to Alison. The blow was so severe that Alison came into a 'vegetative' state for several days, refusing to do anything but to curse Shinoyama for leaving her. I did not know if Alison really loved Shinoyama or she felt cheated. But they had been partnered for a long time; even if love was not a factor, losing a long-time partner would gimp somebody's mind.

We tried several things to keep her head straight, and after a seemingly losing battle, Evee managed to talk to her. Poor Evee. Alison was the backbone of Cavalier's recon force, and without her, the Cavaliers would lose half of its 'eyes'. Evee had to get her back to her old self: sharp and ready to battle. It was not an easy task. I knew I wouldn't be able to do it, and when she came out of Alison's tent, I knew she had gotten Alison back.

"I feel like I'm losing two warriors," Evee leaned on my chest, pouring her frustration into me. "Shinoyama took the loss Kikuchi to heart. Alison said he had turned into a different person: malicious, bitter, driven by rage and vengeance. What he did was inevitable. He was going to do it sooner or later." She blew a massive breath. "I should've seen it earlier. I should've done something to prevent it. Sometimes I feel that I'm responsible for their pain. I'm sacrificing them for my personal deed."

"It wouldn't go any other way," I tried to offer some consolation, although I knew it would sound more like logical justification than comfort. But I had to try. "If you left Kyle fighting alone, you would feel like you betrayed him. You have to choose, and you chose wisely. And who knows, by taking part in this campaign we prevented the Word of Blake to invade New St. Andrews. Imagine what it's like if these zealots bring the war home. It's unlikely but it could happen."

Once again Evee took a deep hard breath, then looked into my eyes like a child pleading for her mother to sleep with her in a cold winter night. "Promise me something."

"Anything."

"Don't ever die on me."

If I had the power, I would not hesitate to say it. We both knew that it was impossible. But she was not asking the impossible. She was just asking for comfort. If I promised it, I might have to break it, but that was another matter. She needed it. She needed me to say it, whether it was possible or not. So I slowly nodded, letting her know that I would always be there for her, but I could not fight the force of nature. "I promise, to the best of my ability."

"You don't know what it means to me," she wrapped her arms around my neck, then exploded in a spasming cry.

* * *

_**HPG Station,  
**__**Victoria, New Avalon Combat Region,  
**__**Crucis March, Federated Suns,  
**__**March 18, 3076**_

The thunderous rockets of two _Overlord_ dropships – bearing Davion's crest on one side and Ducal of Robinson's on the other – sounded like music to everybody's ears. At long last, they were here. They were only regular troops at best, but they brought freshness to our depleted force. And nobody could undermine the impact of 1500 tons of parts, ammunitions, weapons, and food to our morale. That was the most important thing this reinforcement would give us: _spirit_.

Kyle and I waited for the _Overlords_ to touch down, tossing debris and dust in a cloud of smoke. As soon as the bay door opened, the magnificent dropships regurgitated battlemechs and ordnance transports through their ramps. Within minutes, the HPG site turned into an open-door mechbay. Technicians erected repair bays in record time, and food trucks unloaded meat jerky and canned veggies. They were not actually a la carte, but after months of eating stale supplies, fresh jerky was luxury.

Amidst this sudden burst of excitement, the lead _Thanatos_ parked in front of me. The hatch sprung open and the mechwarrior quickly climbed down. Looking at the way he moved, I could tell that he was well trained and physically fit to lead the company. He was in his late 20's or early 30's, taller but thinner than me, with medium-length curly hair and kempt facial hair. He performed a Davion salute to Kyle, and was unsure what to do to me until Kyle gave a wave.

"Major Jayne Dixon, 2nd Robinson Rangers, at your service," the man introduced himself. "Glad to be a part of this war, Major Garrett. Looks like you have the situation under control."

"Barely," Kyle replied matter of factly. "We lost the communication building, although we managed to keep the antennae intact. The 160th Davion Guards lost 35-percent of personnel, some were my trusted captains." He turned to me, then back to Jayne Dixon. "This is Parker Kerensky, field commander of Ridinghood Cavaliers that had been working with us. The Cavaliers lost about the same casualties as the Shooting Stars, but together we made it this far."

"Your reputation precedes you, Commander," Jayne snapped a quick salute. "It's a privilege to be able to fight with you. My technicians should be able to rewire the antennae. We'll get it working soon. In the mean time, you are welcome to use our repair bay whenever they are ready. We have plenty of parts and ammunitions."

"Duly appreciated, Major," I gave him a nod. "We can expect the Word of Blake to try to get the HPG back, so we have to keep our mechs sharp and mechwarriors ready."

"My recon team is pretty much done in," Kyle started filling Jayne in. "Zoe had been running patrols back to back for the last month. We could use some relieve. I want you to plot some running patrol while I call my team for a quick R-n-R. So far the Blakists shied away from sending their mechs to reclaim the HPG, so watch your steps out there. They may plan something."

"As long as they see our _Overlords_, they will not attack," Jayne mused. "I will hold the _Overlords_ until all mechs had been repaired and in nominal condition. Then I will send them away. It is nice to have them around as base defenders, but _Overlords_ are in high demand. After that, we'll see if the Blakists had the guts to continue their assault on the HPG site. If they don't, then we bring the war to their doorstep. I will get my unit to patrol duty, so you can get some rest," Jayne nodded and stepped back, signaling that he was ready to assume control of the HPG site. "Also, I will tell my technicians to update your mech databases with Word of Blake newest technology: the Celestial Omnimechs, piloted by Manei Domini. These satanic monsters have taken great numbers of lives wherever they appeared. I hope we don't have to fight these kinds, but if we see them, we can quickly devise maneuvers to dispose them."

As Jayne walked away, Kyle turned to me, "I don't know about you, but I like that kid. Young, idealistic, and always eager to jump into battle."

"I'm afraid he is too eager," I replied in a huff. "He will get himself killed if he is not careful."

"Don't forget that he's not calling the shots here," Kyle smirked as he answered my fret. "We are. He's a damn good weapon, but he's only as good as the shooter. When the time comes, we'll unleash him into the open, and boy," his lips curled into a grin, "I wish I could see the Blakists' faces when they meet Jayne."

* * *

_**HPG Station,  
**__**Victoria, New Avalon Combat Region,  
**__**Crucis March, Federated Suns,  
**__**May 9, 3076**_

Just as I predicted, the Word of Blake came back for another attack. They tried open-field attack with missiles and PPCs, and it faltered. Now they tried artillery power. I didn't want to take credit of my prediction, but I always knew someday they would bring their long-range cannons to bear. Artillery suited their personality: killing their enemies with overwhelming firepower from long range, without looking into their enemies' eyes.

Luckily, Zoe spotted them before they could execute their plan.

"Hawk Actual, this is Hawk One," Zoe's voice was crisp on the comlink. "I have visual contact with Blakist task force. One Level-2 _JagerMech III's_, one Level-2 armor, and you're not gonna believe this... four Long Tom cannons. Looks like they're heading for the hill range north-east of your position."

The HQ tent was full of communication equipments, but it was still wide enough to contain Kyle, Natalie, David, Jayne, Evee, Yamada and me, along with tactical officers and technicians. Jayne opened a holographic map of the HPG and its surrounding area within 5-kilometer radius. He highlighted the hills designated by Zoe, approximately 3 kilometers away from the HPG.

"Three kilos is prime for Long Toms," Jayne stated, knowing fully the specs of the artillery cannon. "And these hills provide excellent cover for the artillery. Sneaky little fanatics! I told you that as soon as the _Overlords_ are gone, they will start gnawing at us, and they won't stop until the HPG is down."

"They are lightly guarded, which means they don't intend to destroy us," Natalie mused. "They're going to destroy the HPG antennae. All they need is one solid strike and Victoria is cut off again."

"We don't need a full company to take on this task force," Evee joined in. "Maybe two lances of heavies or fast assaults. Speed is of the essence."

"Seconded," Kyle added. "Parker, Evee, you come with me and Natalie. Jayne, take your command lance. We don't need more than that." He turned to the comlink. "Hawk One, listen carefully. Harass the Long Tom, but do not engage the mechs. I repeat, do not engage the mechs. Slow down the task force until we arrive."

"Copy that, Actual," Zoe chimed before cutting off the comlink.

As Kyle, Natalie, and Jayne exited the command tent, Evee turned to Yamada, "You're in charge until we get back. Keep your eyes on Alison. I'm counting on you on this one."

"Don't undermine me, Evee," Yamada replied, his voice was marred with distress. "I am not Shinoyama. I can still fight with you even after the loss of my friends."

"Yamada, you are an invaluable member of Ridinghood Cavaliers because of your leadership," Evee put her hand on his shoulder, fully understood that no warrior liked to be sidelined. "This is where I need you the most. Alison is still unfit for command, and the rest of the Cavaliers are not as strong as you. I am not doing this because I'm underestimating your prowess. I'm doing this because you are the only one who can pull this off."

Yamada sighed and gave me a malicious stare. I never understood what was in his mind. He hardly opened up to me the way Kikuchi and Shinoyama did. He just kept everything for himself. If I could guess, I would think that he wanted a piece of the Word of Blake to avenge his comrades. Or maybe he thought that I was the field commander of the Cavaliers so I was the one who should stay behind. But why would he think that I would let Evee went to battle alone? Whatever it was, I didn't think I would know the truth.

"Fine!" Yamada brusquely retorted and stormed out of the tent.

"What the hell was that?" Evee looked at me with utter confusion. "Did you have a word with him?"

"No, you told me not to, so I did not," I fired off my frustration. "You always take his side when he's malign at me. When this war is over, I will confront him. This is not healthy, and this has to stop."

Evee shook her head, watching the void where Yamada stood a minute ago. "You're right, this has got to stop. But let's deal with it later. We have some Blakists to hunt."

Our battlemechs were ready. The field repair bays proved to be very effective in a warzone like this. Jayne's _Thanatos_ lance had already formed an attack formation. Kyle's _Mad Cat Mk.II, _Natalie's _Helbringer_ and Evee's _Longbow_ stood idle as the pilots prepped into piloting gears, and the grin on my _Gladiator_ looked like it was asking giddily to be set loose again.

For the first time in years, I could see the light at the end of this campaign.

The Davion techs did a good job on the mechs. I could hardly distinguish battle scars on any of our mechs. I felt like I just rode on a mech fresh from the shop. All electronics blinked in harmony, like a new mech should. The only thing that reminded me that I was inside a 25-year-old veteran was the paint.

"All units, full speed to Hawk One location," I heard Kyle barked his order. "Engage upon contact."

The _Thanatos_ had 10 kph advantage over my mech, so the Robinson quartet quickly pulled an increasing gap with Kyle, Natalie, Evee, and me. We sprinted across the mesa, quickly eating the gap with the north-eastern hills, then turned sharply to the left to attack the Word of Blake. And it did not take us long until we saw the artillery convoy. The long white cannons were hard to miss, especially on a green mesa.

Zoe executed her role exactly what Kyle asked her to do. Her _Hellspawn_ nagged the cannons with its missiles. The attack did not bring damage or destruction, but it did confuse the defenders. When the Blakist's _JagerMech III's_ turned to charge her, she used her speed to get out of range. This cat-and-mouse game not only frustrated the Blakists, but also slowed down the Long Tom convoy significantly.

"Alright, let's kick some fanatical asses!" Jayne roared in delight, then took his lance to dive into the Blakist's midst. Crimson laser bolts spearheaded their assaults, and missile tracers ended up in small fireballs when they ran over the _JagerMech III's_. Their deadly MRM40 hit the Blakists like a storm, so much that the sturdy _JagerMechs_ swayed and staggered under the onslaught.

The Blakists quickly worked their numbers to their advantage. The _JagerMech III's_ dispersed onto the field and boxed the Claymores, while the Quad-Laser tanks kept their distance, pouring their laser bolt into the Claymore midst. PPC's and autocannon tracers flew back and forth, catching the _Thanatoses_ off guard. Although the _Thanatoses_ had enough armor to sustain the onslaught, the state of being overwhelmed gave the young Robinsons a momentary panic.

I picked a _JagerMech III_ to trouble with and drilled its back with my long lasers. As the armor glowed in red, the _JagerMech_ turned and faced me, shooting its PPCs in wanton retaliation. One bolt zipped past my head, but the other busted my left arm. My HUD went static in a short duration, but the Robinson techs provided good electrical ground for my electronics. As soon as the charged dissipated, my HUD went back up again, showing a loss of 25-percent of armor lost on my upper left arm.

The last shot, and probably several other shots the pilot made at the _Thanatoses_, threw the _JagerMech_ into a nuclear sauna. I could see steam and smoke hissed out of the body, and copious amount of coolant gushed forth from the back. I suspected it would not fire in 10 to 15 seconds. I broke into a sprint, spitting one salvo of laser into the _JagerMech's_ midst, then knocked my LBX cannons. The _JagerMech_ pilot got some skills; he turned his mech sideways to protect his torso, sacrificing half of his firepower for a longer life. His right arm blew up into shards, and charged particles spewed out of the stump, along with smoke and nuts and bolts.

The _JagerMech_ pilot knew he could not fire one more PPC without risking shut down, so he turned to face me and let loose a hail of bullets. Half of the AC2 rounds ricocheted along my mech, drilling dents and gouging armor, pumping ferro-fibrous bits into the air. Two medium laser bolts followed suit, cooking another ton of armor from the hip.

I gripped my joystick hard, then sidestepped to the left. With its heat level close to shut down, the _JagerMech III_ was far more sluggish than my _Gladiator_, despite the fact it surrendered 30 tons. I came to its blind spot with ease, and within a second after the gun was ready, I torched its left torso from the back. The rear left torso was not as well-armored as the front part, so my shot cored into the ammunition feeder. Three consecutive explosions staggered the mech hard, ripping its left shoulder, rendering the remaining AC2 useless.

In a desperate maneuver, the _JagerMech III_ pivoted and backpedaled, bringing me on its crosshair. Its medium lasers punched a new hole on my center torso. The acrid smell of burning ferro-fibrous made my head spinning, but all I cared was that the shot never jeopardized me. My armor level dropped down to yellow, but I knew I could sustain a lot more punishment.

I was thinking of forcing the pilot to eject. We could cannibalize the _JagerMech_ as part mech, and squeeze information from the mechwarrior. But on second thought, this Blakist was to babysit an artillery convoy. He was not a ranking officer, and he might not know a lot more than we needed to know. Capturing him was not worth the effort, and his death was more useful than his information.

So I trained all weapons at the center and hit an alpha strike. The muzzle flash covered my vision for a split second, and when it subsided, scorching splinters showered me. My last shot carved a gapping hole on its chest, covered in smoke and coolant and sparks. The _JagerMech III_ took a knee in defeat. I did not know what components were damaged in my last assault, but by the look of it, it didn't have anything left to offer.

But even in its imminent doom, the _JagerMech III_ was still defiant. It writhed to erect, stretching all muscles to stand up and face me. I had to give it to the mechwarrior. But his resilience was driven by fanaticism, and fanaticism was the gate to destruction. I hoisted my right arm and, taking several steps back to avoid splash damage, I sank in my killing blow. Blue light spewed through the hole like dagger, and within seconds the _JagerMech III_ disintegrated into fiery mist.

Firing my LBX cannon repeatedly pumped the heat on my mech, so I took time to observe the battlefield while cooling down. Kyle and Natalie dove into battle, disrupting the Blakist harmony that started to work against Jayne's lance. Evee coordinated with Zoe to destroy the Long Toms and Quad-Laser armors from long distance. As the Blakist's maneuver faltered, Jayne regained his composure and tore the Blakists apart. The young Robinson showed ferocity of a veteran when executing his fighting plan.

Soon enough, no Blakists were left alive.

"They're getting pretty desperate," Kyle stated, shrugging the effect of AC2 and PPC on his _Mad Cat Mk.II_. "After this failed attempt, they should know that we will take over the offensive soon. Are you ready?"

"About time," I responded. "We had been overwhelmed by Word of Blake force since we landed on Victoria. Today was the first time we turned the tide of the battle. The arrival of Claymore Company put the Blakists at a number disadvantage. Let's finish this strong, so we all can go home."

"We come to serve Davion, Major Garrett," Jayne added. "Ready when you are."

"Perfect!" Kyle led the way back to the HPG station. "All hands, return to base."

* * *


	17. Chapter 16

**SIXTEEN**

**Note:** I made a montage of Parker's backstory, hearkened back from his sibkin days at Strana Mechty, his rise at Tukayyid, and his last days at Refusal War (that explains why I haven't updated IK3 in 2 weeks... sorry). I was originally thinking of making this as another entry to this forum, but decided not to. So if anybody's interested, just go to my **deviantART** account and enjoy some flashback comics. If Parker's history is not of your interest, well, then enjoy some Blakist pounding for the next several chapters.

* * *

_**Word of Blake HQ,  
**__**Victoria, New Avalon Combat Region,  
**__**Crucis March, Federated Suns,  
**__**September 9, 3076**_

"This is it."

When Evee and I came down to Victoria to aid Kyle and Natalie, we didn't think we would get this far. All we wanted was to help Kyle and Natalie escaped the wrath of Word of Blake. When we knew they were sound and OK, we could just take them out. But Kyle was not the kind of man that turned his back on a battle. He was gratuitous about our concern, but never showed a sign of giving up what he was assigned to do. We didn't mind at all. We agreed with Kyle, Natalie, Jayne, Victor Davion, Devlin Stone, and the majority of human population that Word of Blake was not the future for Inner Sphere.

So everything came down to this. The Word of Blake lost a lot of ground, and now they were cornered on the last bastion they could hold. They were beaten in almost every front. They lost their mercenary support at Lomme, they lost the HPG, and for all I cared, they were losing Victoria. But even in that state, the Word of Blake was still a force of terror. Their main base was a massive complex with various turrets and guard towers. Battlemechs roamed every corner of the base. A quick tally of the mechs revealed that there were two Level-3 units of battlemechs, not to mention defensive turrets, armor, and artillery.

"The base is heavily fortified, as you can see for yourself," Kyle spoke through general frequency. "Not to mention Long Toms and Thumpers, possibly Arrow missiles stacked inside the base. And the Blakes have every intention to throw them at you. But when you think you haven't spilled enough blood to reach this end, this is where it ends. The only one stands between you and your family at home is this base. Drive them to hell, and Victoria is ours."

I didn't know the response of the Shooting Stars – possibly the Cavaliers and Claymores, too – toward Kyle's speech. But I didn't need to know. This accursed Jihad had gone too long, and everybody wanted to go home. We didn't have to remind our troops about their fallen comrades to fuel their fighting spirit. Vengeance was yesterday. Just mention 'home', and they would fight like wounded animals. And that was exactly what Kyle did.

Kyle's tone changed when he turned to private frequency. "The Blakes use cascaded formation to defend themselves. Circle the base and destroy the turrets. I want them dead and silent, all of them."

"We're going inside their killing zone," Evee stated. "We're walking through their artillery field."

"The Long Tom fires are too widespread. You'll be hit, but you won't be killed. Keep moving and you'll be fine. Move in close only to subdue turrets. Leave the mechs alone. I mean it, do not engage the mech forces unless necessary. We're playing in their turf, and I don't want any unnecessary casualties. Not today!"

As soon as we made our move, Long Tom shells started raining down on us. I reckoned there should be at least a Level-2 Long Tom unit inside the base. The artillery rain was torrent, coupled by whistling sound of incendiary shells dragging on Victoria atmosphere. Each time the shell hammered the ground, I felt a violent shake on my joystick. They were not strong enough to derange my 95-ton mech, but they were raucous enough to make it sway like a tree in a gust.

"We need to silence that Long Toms," I stated amidst intermittent bursts of Long Tom shells.

"Leave the Long Toms for tomorrow," Kyle rebuked. "Keep moving and hitting the turrets."

I could see what he was thinking. As despicable as the Long Toms could be, they would not hurt us if we kept circling around. Our speed and armor should be enough to nullify the effectiveness of the artillery fire. Kyle's plan was to show the Word of Blake that first line of defense was unreliable, so that we could come close enough to destroy their second line of defense: the turrets. Without their defense, the Word of Blake would be forced to attack us with their mechs, thus revealing their defensive formation.

I paced my mech to top speed, crisscrossing my path under the blanket of artillery fire. Evee and her lance shadowed me some 50 meters away, looking out for possible sniper or hidden turrets. As I spiraled closer to the base, a group of 4 laser turrets popped up on my screen. These turrets sported 2 ER lasers, comparable to my Clan counterpart. Two might be just aggravating, but eight would hurt, even for an assault.

"Take them one at a time," I directed my lance while putting the closest turret on my reticule. "Engage the closest turret."

My _Warhammer_ lance mate opened fire with its double PPC, only one of which made contact. Blue electrical cloud shielded the turret, but it still swiveled to my direction, executing return fire. I stabbed it with my lasers, which turned its front hull into a sweltering mass. My _Marauder_ came next, coring the hull further with its well-placed salvo. Fire broke where the particle bolts connected, and the turret tumbled.

The other 3 turrets returned fire, spitting ruby strands in a sweeping manner. Two strands ignited my left shoulder guard, turning it into a distorted piece of metal. The change of balance was quickly compensated. Another salvo streaked into my left hip. I could see droplets of molten ferro-fibrous sizzled on the ground, although 'see' was definitely misleading. Nevertheless, I maintained course without much trouble, waiting for my laser to stand ready at the flick of my finger.

When the laser tracker turned green, I launched my second salvo, picking up the nearest turret. The turret armor absorbed my attack valiantly, but not after shedding some armor. But when a quartet of PPC bolts followed suit, the armor just gave up. The turret went aflame, tossing a smorgasbord of concrete and metal in a spectacular display of firework. It was amazing to behold that for such a small structure, the turret could summon such a powerful explosion.

The other two tried desperately to keep my lance at bay. Laser blasted left and right, some managed to shed more armor from my left side. My armor tracker turned into blinding yellow, but I knew I could still depend on it. Turret fire was not a work of a sniper. It was designed more as a suppressing fire rather than a killing shot.

I turned my unscathed right toward the turrets and fired my lasers as soon as they were ready. My lance mates followed my lead. The third laser turret went up in flames, leaving behind a billowing stump of concrete rubble. The smoke obscured the last laser turret, so when it returned fire, the twin ruby strands sailed off harmlessly a good inch on my right.

Firing three consecutive PPC salvos had turned my _Warhammer_ and _Marauder_ into walking saunas, so I sent them back to cool off, and pushed my newly acquired _Crusader _forward. Long traces of smoke covered the view, but at the end of the trails a fireball lit up the environment, accentuating the fact that all turrets had been demolished.

Before I could continue my course, six red blips leapt into my eyes. A quick reading on my HUD revealed that they were _Initiates_ and _Blue Flames_, coming hot and fast at me. I was easily distracted by my own bloodlust. Of course my unit could take on these medium Blakists! But we had a plan, and I didn't want to be the cocky asshole that threw away an otherwise perfect scheme.

"Back off! Do not engage!" I ordered my lance mates to leave the Level-2 unit alone. "Let Evee's unit handle them."

As my lance mates retreated disgruntling, Evee's lance moved forward to suppress the incoming unit. Missiles leapt from their tubes, cruising in air before arching onto the medium Blakists. Fire blossomed from the impact. The salvo was not meant to hurt the Blakists physically. Instead, Evee's salvos were to deter the Blakists from giving us a chase. And it worked marvelously.

"Go," Evee said through private frequency. "I'll hold these guys."

"Don't stay with them too long," I continued my course. "It's easy to get greedy, but we are not there yet."

"Just shut up and go!" she grumbled while shooting another salvo. "I know what I have to do."

I whipped my mech again, running zigzag under the constant barrage of Long Tom fire. Once in a while the shockwave threw my mech off balance, but a quick calibration brought it back as if it nothing happened. My armor level still clung secure on yellow. Considering the heavy pounding we had to sustain, yellow level was acceptable. But hopefully we could get out of there soon before we lost too much armor.

Then I saw three missile turrets guarding a corner, with its control tower perching conceitedly in the background. I could not employ the same tactic as before. If I could shoot the tower, I could dismantle the three turrets quickly. But I had to run through a gauntlet of missiles, and I didn't want to sacrifice my armor that way.

"The control tower was 300 meters behind," Yamada said as his lance went past mine. "I will handle this."

Yamada use of 'will' instead of 'can' exemplified the fact that he was not asking my permission. He had a plan of his own and he would do it. It was a solid plan since his _Drillson_ lance outran virtually everybody else. But I dreaded he was going into a trance like Shinoyama. I needed him alive, especially now.

"No, Yamada, there is another way," I tried to hold him back. "Do not get into…"

But apparently, he was not listening. His _Drillson_ roared into the thicket of Long Tom rain, swerving gracefully between structures. The missile turrets tried to pick him, but Yamada's speed and agility was too much for them. When he got into range, he fired his large laser, followed by a swarm of missiles. The tower came down crumbling, and the concrete dust enveloped the now defunct turrets.

I have been trying to understand what he had been through. But disregarding command was crossing the line. As much as I wanted to grieve with him, I could not tolerate his antics anymore. However, Yamada picked the perfect moment to show his hatred toward me. I could not court martial him now. His unit was the spearhead of our attack, a perfect weapon for our situation. He was the man of the hour, and I thought he knew.

Which brought me to the ultimate question: what had I done to him that made him like this? Prejudice? Shinoyama was prejudiced at me. Yamada was something else. He treated me as if I did something unforgivable to him. Did we know each other before Engadine? Unless Yamada was a Rasalhagian, it was unlikely. Wolf didn't make contact with the Kuritans. But they did obliterate pirates, and Yamada had a connection with Yakuza at some point. Perhaps that was the red line I had been overlooking all this long.

A vicious explosion robbed me from my reckoning. A large Long Tom shells landed just inches away from my spot. My entire cockpit shook hard, taking the shockwave heavily. The corner groaned in a twisting sound of metal, and half of my HUD burst into splinters. The ceiling filled with sparks, and the fire extinguishers were fooled into spilling their content into the cockpit, even without apparent fire. If the straps did not hold me to my seat, I would've jumped across the room and flew out of the canopy.

"Hey, you alright?" I heard Zoe's voice amidst statics.

"I can shake it off," I replied while checking my stats. "What a waste of armor, though."

"Come on, there are a group of _Calliopes_ on the eastern hill," she chimed, swerving over my mech with her lance. "My lance is not strong enough to handle four. Care to lend a hand?"

"Always," I pushed the throttle to maximum. My mech galloped behind Zoe's. The last blast damaged my leg actuator, which was apparent by uneven gait it was taking. A quick check on my computer revealed a slight leak of oil on the left foot actuator. I estimated the pressure drop would reach a dangerous level after 2 hours of rigorous fight. Hopefully the fight would be over by then.

Nevertheless, four Calliopes were waiting for us, defended by two _Spartans_. They immediately traded missiles with Zoe's _Hellspawn_. Her ECM threw away the turret's marksmanship, but the _Spartans_ boldly charged her unit. Lasers zipped through the field, and the Shooting Star's recon lance started taking damage.

"Engage my target!" I barked, just as my thumb grazed my laser trigger. Two emerald beam evaporated a ton of armor on a _Spartan's_ left torso. As the assault Blakist twisted to retaliate, missiles and PPC bolts swarmed it from every direction. Two large crater spurted fire and smoke on its torso, and the 80-tonner staggered to maintain balance.

But its twin joined forces with the _Calliopes_ and some lucky Long Tom shells. Two laser bolts, half a dozen missiles, and a near miss rocked my _Marauder_ lance mate. The laser salvo opened a slit on the right torso armor, and the missiles tore it into a bad gash. The near miss pushed it aside, forcing it to twist to keep it on its feet. But the sudden change in balance halted it on its track, and the _Spartans_ made the most of the situation. Laser strands cored the crack further, and a fireball breached the entire torso from the body.

I stepped up the attack by rushing toward the nearest _Spartan_, the one that received a cascaded blow from several directions. My lasers wiped out the remaining armor on the left torso, and my LBX shells ripped through the structures into the heart of the mech. An explosion tore a hole on the mech's back, and the _Spartan_ dropped to one knee, using its arms to support its body.

As the Spartan struggled to keep alive, another wave from the _Calliope_ arrived, concentrating fire on the _Marauder_. More than a dozen missiles ripped the hull open, exposing the engine to enemy's weapons. The other Spartan sank its lasers into the opening, and the _Marauder _gave up. Blue sparks burst from the gap, and the _Marauder_ disintegrated into a bonfire.

I waited until my weapons beeped their readiness, then threw everything at the healthy _Spartan_. A large chunk of armor flew in the air as my venom hammered its chest. I did not expect the 80-ton mech to fold quickly, but the _Spartan_ just lurched and fell flat on its back, as if the neurohelmet failed to recalibrate the balance. As a result, subsequent attack from my lance mates flew over its body.

The first _Spartan_, bludgeoned and bleeding smoke from every limb, managed to get up and fired its lasers, although its rushed attack only hit air. Zoe coordinated her lance mates to bury the Blakist once and for all. Her missiles sank into the unprotected torso, ripping the reactor casing. Fire bled from the torso. Zoe brought her mech to safety, seconds before the mech disintegrated, devoured by superheated plasma.

One Blakist short, I put my targeting reticule on the other's torso, as it struggled to get up. I felt the heat in the cockpit, and I knew I couldn't afford another alpha strike without loosing speed. The _Calliopes_ were still firing, and I needed my speed. So I fired one LBX, chastising the _Spartan_ on the left torso, keeping it from taking full control of its own body. I slipped behind it, giving a chance for my lance mates to finish my job. They took the cue quickly. Missiles from the _Crusader_ bombarded the _Spartan_, and two PPC bolts from the _Warhammer_ sealed the fate of the 80-ton Blakist. Its knee buckled, and its front armor caved in, crushing the delicate generator behind its ferro-fibrous hide. The _Spartan_ fell again, this time its face dug into the ground.

I had not forgotten about the _Calliopes_. They made a big target out of me and launched their missiles in unison. My proximity alarm whined like crazy, but it did not do any good. Warheads slammed onto my mech like drones. Armor layers flew like leaves, and I started smelling burning rubber and coolant. I wouldn't be surprised if I had some critical damages.

Luckily, I still had some long range weapons on my lance mates. As I backed up to safety, the _Warhammer_ and _Crusader_ blocked my path from the _Calliopes_ and went to work. A quick burst of particle charges turned a _Calliope_ silent. The next wave of missiles crunched its left launcher, while Zoe's concentrated attack unseated it from its base. The turret tumbled backward.

The _Calliopes_ changed target, now peppering Zoe's lance, as if their collective brains figured out that the a recon lance was more vulnerable than a command lance. Once again Zoe was forced to withdraw, away from the turrets. Her lance mates were bleeding smoke and sparks, and judging from her maneuver she almost felt that she was giving up the fight. Or so I thought.

"Just return to base. I will finish up here," I said, covering her retreat.

"There's no need to be a hero, Parker," she replied. "We'll finish together."

"Do not waste lives on turrets," I gunned my engine. "There'll always be tomorrow when your speed is valuable against their Long Toms."

"As you wish, then," Zoe backed up. "Good luck."

I turned hard left, pushing my mech just below 800 meters from the nearest turret, then fired my lasers. Two green spears burnt a slab of armor from the turret, carving a blazing mark on its front hull. It was one of few occasions that I wished I had Gauss rifles instead of LBX20's as my primary weapons. But my lance mates picked up the glowing blotch and poured their firepower into it. Molten metal blended with smoke and concrete as PPC bolts and missiles wrecked the turret. Tongues of fire licked from the center, seconds before they grilled the ammunition bins. Bits of the turret flew into the sky, propelled by a monstrous fireball.

The remaining two kept on pouring missiles, although their intensity was halved. The _Warhammer_ shook as another wave of missiles fell upon it, but the 70-tonner shook it off. It turned around, throwing off a couple seconds for its guns to recycle, then stabbed the nearest _Calliope_. The attack was strong enough to drill a hole on its front armor. I hit the hole with my lasers, and the _Calliope_ burst into flames.

The last one was valiant, but there was nothing left it could offer. It traded missiles with the _Crusader_, then tried to switch target to the _Warhammer_, but two PPC bolts stopped it from its track. The _Warhammer_ had reached shut down temperature, so I paced my mech to cover it and buried another salvo into the turret. The bearing was destroyed, and the turret ceased to function. One last salvo from the _Crusader_ finished it.

As the last _Calliope_ crumbled, I took a moment to observe the base. Relentless attack from the coalition forces wore down the base defenders. More than 70 percent of turrets had been destroyed, and the Long Tom cannons kept on firing in futility. Casualties in our side were not significant. Some mechs fell, other limped and tottered back to the HPG in smoke, but the total tally did not exceed 30 percent. The Blakists, however, lost only several mechs, but gave up the most important thing in their arsenal: their defense strategy.

"Return to the HPG," Kyle concluded the mission. "We've got what we came here for."

* * *


	18. Chapter 17

**SEVENTEEN**

**Note: **There is a request from Ashley Fruno (Samantha Rose's sister) about putting some information on the author's note, so this one will be a bit lengthy. No, I haven't forgotten Samantha and Ashley, and I am honored to have such devoted fans.

1. In IK1 I mentioned that Parker is 27 in 3058. That makes his birth date 3031. As of today, he is 46. By today's standard, he's old, but life expectancy in BTech universe is 108 years. So he's like 33 years by today's standard.

2. I don't usually pay attention to camo scheme and logo, so thanks Ashley for bringing it up. When I play MW4 Mercs MP3, I usually use "Mojave" paint job for my mechs, so I guess I'll adopt that for the Cavaliers. It is a drab yellow and grey paint job. The logo is the planet New St. Andrews with its three moons circling around it. I sketched this, but failed to put it on the text. Maybe I should start paying attention to details like this.  
Mike, Kat, this request also applies to Shooting Stars and 13 Wolf Regulars. Could you describe the paint scheme and logo for your units, if you have one?

3. I will use Samantha's poem in the future. Just don't know when, so please be patient.

4. There will be more guest authors in the future. Akela, Sigurd, Rica, Victor (Bien), Samantha, Ben etc. are not done making appearance, so when they show up, you can expect Kat and GreenKnights to jump in and flare the screen with their power writing (ha ha... I can't help it!). SulliMike, do you want to join?

5. This is not related to Ashley. I have been building up things for this chapter since writing We Are Cavaliers (13 months ago... damn, that is a long time!) Some fans complain why I tend to 'butcher' my own good guys. I don't know, I guess I'm disturbed :). But writing death scene for one good guy is a hundred times more emotional than writing death scenes for a hundred bad guys. I guess I'm addicted to it.  
It's hard to be objective, but this scene is possibly the finest death scene I've ever written. I spread a lot of hints and clues throughout We Are Cavaliers and IK3. This chapter concludes them all.

* * *

_**Word of Blake HQ,  
**__**Victoria, New Avalon Combat Region,  
**__**Crucis March, Federated Suns,  
**__**January 3, 3077**_

Broken, beaten, but still defiant.

That was the Word of Blake base, after months of attrition and famine. Our last major offensive reduced their turret forces into waste heap of metal and concrete, and the skirmishes after that prevented them to rebuild their forces. We blockaded all entries and exits, keeping them guessing and waiting while guzzling their last logistics. The long months started to make our troops jittery. Young guns like Jayne Dixon were fueled by impatience and demanded blitzkrieg as soon as the dawn broke. But having lost many friends in this war, Kyle and I opted to squeeze the spirit off the Blakist troops before we dove into blitzkrieg. We wanted to minimize casualties.

Then, we decided we had enough waiting.

"They still had their Long Toms," Kyle's briefing preceded the break of dawn. "Jayne, divert the defenders from the west. Zoe, Alison, neutralize the Long Toms. All hands, drive behind Zoe and Alison. This is it, people. We are going in!"

The comlink burst into frenzy, releasing pent-up anticipation that this might be the last battle. I whipped my _Gladiator_ to swing around the hill halfway to the front, right into the killing field behind Alison's lance. I was still dubious about Alison's state of mind, but my doubt was quickly proven wrong. Reaching the hill summit, Alison spotted the Long Tom cannons, stacked in a diamond formation, and gave her thumbs-up using her _Assassin_. She knew I was behind her, and she trusted me to back her up.

As we made our thrust, the Long Toms started their rain of fire, barking in rhythm, showering us with their murderous shells. Their shells rocked the ground, sending tremor throughout the field like war drums. But I noticed their firing intensity was far less than the other day. The Blakists were conserving ammunition, and it sent message to the coalition force: this was the time.

I readied my lasers, then switched to active radar mode. I knew the consequences. Yes, I would find the Blakist's position, but I was giving up my position as well. Two _Toyamas_ appeared on my left, two _Grand Crusaders_ on my right, trying to sandwich me in a nasty crossfire.

"The _Toyamas_ are mine," I heard David Malthus chimed. "You get the _Grand Crusaders_."

"Right," I had nothing to complain. I switched to my lance's frequency, "Engage the _Grand Crusaders_! I'm covering for Alison!"

The Blakist's initial shots went wide, but the next two caught me on the right side. I kicked my throttle, bringing my _Gladiator_ dash forward, closer to Alison's team on the hill. As Dave's team caught the _Toyamas_, the _Grand Crusaders_ dashed forward to get a quick aim at Alison and me. But my _Marauder_, _Warhammer_, and _Crusader _lance mates quickly went to work. Their cannons hurled particle bolts that fried the electronics of the _Grand Crusaders_, while their missiles pushed them off balance. The white battlemechs staggered hard behind dust and pebbles.

Free from the Blakists, Alison jumped into the air to hit the Long Tom from long range. Her missiles arced and spiraled down to the ground before slamming themselves into a thick cloud of dust just inches away from the nearest Long Tom. Her lance mates mimicked her action and opened fire with a calculated shot. Armor piercing warheads burnt the ammunition bins that were scattered carelessly among the long cannons. In a matter of seconds the Long Toms engulfed in a firestorm, and half of the crews were broiled in their posts.

At this moment I could rest my fret about the artilleries but I did not want to do it before they were subdued. I fired my lasers in cascaded attack, one behind the other, focusing on the ammunition stacks. Fire and smoke mushroomed as my lasers torched the explosives, tossing the long cannons into the air.

There were more Long Tom cannons across the base, and Alison's lance moved in to finish another group when four _Blue Flames_ cut their path. There nasty four-leggers hurled dozens of missiles, followed by brilliant light from their laser and ballistic cannons. The light javelins speared through space and stabbed Alison's ranks in several places. Fireballs blossomed from stricken light mechs, tampering the dark space with tangerine lights and burning titanium splinters. The slower missiles came in, missing the mech ranks, but went straight to their intended targets. Mushroom-like explosions flourished as the warheads struck the thick titanium armor of the _Assassin_ and its posse. Two light mechs quickly caught minor fire, while others shrugged the attack and staggered to maintain their column. The missile attack peeled a good amount of armor off their torsos, but they were not dispirited and quickly came with their answer.

Alison's arms gleamed in light as laser streaks whizzed from the cannons, hammering a _Blue Flame _left side. Half a ton of armor glowed in brilliant flash. Chunks of burning ferro-fibrous oozed like blood. I followed Alison's work, concentrating on the gutted _Blue Flame _and used its carved left side as a bullseye. My twin lasers missiles shredded the _Blue Flame's_ armor like paper, bored into the next layer, and pulled off an oozing gash on its hull.

The _Blue Flames_ quickly ganged up on Alison's _Locust_ lance mate. Two laser bolts eviscerated the 20-ton mech, the lightest among the lights, ripping its torso like a pair of scalpels. The _Locust_ reeled to the side like a dying beast, gushing smoke and sparks from its gutted engines. Alison's _Assassin_ unleashed its fury with its beam cannons and missiles, but the Blue Flames kept their targeting reticule on the _Locust_ and poured out their own hailstorm. The _Locust_ burst up in flames, filling the solemn void with fragmented titanium, smoke, and sparks.

As the 45-ton metal hounds switched to another target, I entered the firing range of my LBX cannons. Needles of light zipped through the space as I pinched the trigger to my lasers. The calculated shots fell into the midst of a _Blue Flame_, evaporating a ton of armor. The quadruped mech turned to return fire, but I had anticipated its move. I unloaded my ammunitions at the Blakist, peppering the glowing blotch at its right side. Three consecutive explosions ripped the hull of the mech, pumping titanium and ferro-fibrous bits into the air.

The last explosion was the _pheromone_ for Alison's lance. They came from the left side and sank a good salvo into the same spot. The structure caved in, and the engine erupted in a volcanic blast. Titanium chunks, some were as big as my lower arm, whizzed in every direction. The _Blue Flame_ rolled to its belly like a whale in its dying throes.

The other _Blue Flames_ tried give aid to its comrade. Their laser and missile fires intensified, but Alison crisscrossed her path, losing dozens of missiles and laser beams. Her _Wasp_ lance mate was not so fortunate. It made a low pass toward the Blue Flame's blind spot when three missiles ripped its left torso apart. Tongues of fire burst out from the torso as the torso tore into two parts. Another stray shots grilled the already wrecked torso. Droplets of molten slag sprayed into the air, and the _Wasp_ sunk into one knee.

I abandoned the dying _Blue Flame _and put my crosshair on its closest kin, sneering at the troubled _Wasp_ with hounding. My alpha strike button moaned in protest as I mashed it as hard as I could. Submunitions raced with two bright bolts, coring rear limb of the _Blue Flame_. It twisted and writhed under my assault, like a bleeding dog at the mercy of a pack of a lion. Sparks gushed out from the crack, and the 45-ton mech limped to safety.

But when I thought I just had to deal with two _Blue Flame_ left, I was mistaken. The limping Blue Flame turned around and launched a cascaded attack at me. Beam streaks zipped through the air, spearing my mech right in the gut. I felt my mech reeling to the left, raining down sizzling titanium armor and metal gristles. I spread my legs for more balance, but the _Blue Flames_ bombarded my torso with their missiles. Sparks burst from the incision as my mech staggered to keep standing.

I knew I could not depend on Alison, and even if I could, it would be ironic. But Alison swerved in to snap a quick nag at the limping _Blue Flame_. Traces of light leapt from her 5-pack missile launcher, sailing straight into the crack on its hind leg. Twin fireball breached the leg in colorful flares and sparks, rendering the _Blue Flame_ immobilized.

The rest of the _Blue Flames _swung hard to the right and fired off at the _Assassin_. Beam streaks zipped in the air like fingers from hell, trying to crunch the sneaky mech. But miraculously, Alison flinched at the nick of time, missing every single attack.

I used this momentary lapse to close the gap with the legged _Blue Flame_ and fired my left laser and LBX at the remaining hind leg. The stocky leg burst in brilliant flares, and the accursed metal hound stumbled backward, dragging its body with its fore limbs. I raised my right arm and hit its right fore limb. Explosions ripped the leg from knee down, and the _Blue Flame_ teetered on the brink of uselessness.

"My thanks," I contacted Alison. "You sacrificed your life for me."

"Just kill them all," Alison replied matter of factly. "I just want to see them die."

Meanwhile, my lance mates let loose their fury upon the _Grand Crusaders_. Mutliple burst of particle bolts speared out from their cannons, fringing the air with eerie blades of energy. The _Grand Crusaders_ used every bit of its armor to beat the attack. But my lance mates fought with ferocity uncontested by the Blakists, forcing the _Grand Crusaders_ to drift off to safety, teetering under pressure to regroup with their friends.

The remaining _Blue Flames_, however, refused to let go. With two of their kins struggling to survive, the other two engaged a two-pronged attack. The sky coruscated as missile launchers and laser cannons blasted, spitting their venoms at my midst. Shredded armor flew in every direction, and fireballs blossomed every time they hit their marks. Sparks erupted from my HUD as the ballistics rammed my mech dead center. My armor gauge plunged to 65 percent, and the heat tracker slid up to one third shut down level.

I was inches away from return fire when two Claymore's _Bushwackers_ came to my aid. Bursts of missile tracers leapt from their tubes, moping up the rear armor of the _Blue Flames_ with lethal fire. Half of the missiles flew harmlessly above the Blakist's head, but ones that connected tore the armor apart and almost breached the limbs. Coming into range, the _Bushwackers_ fired off their autocannon and diced the front leg of a _Blue Flame_, and the dismembered limb cartwheeled into a wall, creating minor fire.

Tasting a new, deadlier threat, the _Blue Flames_ backpedaled amidst blitzing fire, sizzling titanium fragments, and tongues of fire from the _Bushwackers_. Black smoke trailed from their torso as the Bushwacker sank volleys upon volleys into their midst. Fire belched from the _Blue Flame's _torso, a sure sign of critical hits. I joined the fray, sending my double laser into a _Blue Flame's_ center. One streak busted its left shoulder guard, turning it into molten goo that splattered onto the nearby buildings. The quadruped mech lurched forward, fighting to get on its feet, but the pressure got the best of it. It fell flat faced.

The last _Blue Flame_ painted the closest _Bushwacker_ with its missed fire. But the _Bushwacker_ crisscrossed its path, easily dodging the Blakist's poor marksmanships. The 55-tonner turned around and popped up its AC10 on its right arm. Multiple traces of bullets dashed out of the cannons, shredding the armor on the _Blue Flame's_ left leg. A second later, the leg breached from the body. Sparks and oil gushed out from the wound, and acrid smoke invaded the cockpit. The pilot opted to disengage and ran away from battle, leaving three of his comrades at our mercy.

"The enemy is falling back, Sir," I heard Jayne Dixon chiming in delight. "Permission to pursue."

"All hands, push the Blakists to the center!" Kyle ordered. "Tear their hearts out!"

But the Word of Blake would not go down without a fight. In one desperate move they unleashed their assaults, ranging from _Highlander_, _Albatross_, _Vanquishers_, and even _Grand Titans_, once deemed to be the best Inner Sphere battlemech of all time. The smaller mechs swiveled around their big brothers. And when the big boys unloaded their main weapons, we were taken aback.

"Concentrate fire on the nearest target!" I barked my order while targeting a _Grand Titan_. "Keep up the pressure! Kyle, take the light lances back! This is work for the big guns!"

As Alison's lance turned away, the _Grand Titan_ raised its arms and let loose a hail of beam and missiles. I saw nothing but light, seconds before my mech went ablaze; fire raged from torso to torso as structures collapsed on top of each other. I jiggled my joysticks left and right, dodging the deadly attacks by the Blakist but some still connected to my torso. Half of the cockpit was obscured by smoke, and the armor level plunged dangerously low.

But even the mighty _Grand Titan_ had its drawback. Firing its pulse lasers repeatedly quickly turned it into a walking inferno. When it paused to cool off, I slid to its right and unloaded my guns where it mattered most. My lasers softened up the armor of its right arm, and my fragmented shells sank into its right shoulder. The _Grand Titan_ staggered hard as explosion ripped its shoulder apart, almost tearing its arm off its shoulder. A gash opened up, exposing bearings and delicate machineries to the air.

The _Grand Titan_ reflexively twisted right to protect its shoulder. Various missiles drilled into my _Gladiator_ solar plexus, right under the cockpit. Two beams lashed the remaining armor on the front and the incoming missiles cracked the internal structure. I sidestepped the attack as hard as I could, but two missiles still cored into my torso. Explosion roars blended with alarm from the computer. Major fire broke out on the main engine, and waste heat enveloped the cockpit, even before I fired my weapons in excessive manner.

But once again the _Grand Titan _had to rest, dumping copious amount of steaming coolant in the process. I overrode the shut down sequence, risking getting broiled in the cockpit, and shot the _Titan's_ right shoulder, straight into the power line. Sparks jetted out like a fountain as the entire right torso breached. I took a hard lock on the Nero's mid torso, then fired my right lasers. A surge of pure energy speared the _Titan_, turning the armor and internal structure into mist. Three successive explosions followed, and the _Titan_ engulfed in fire.

I could not go head to head with this bruiser. The _Titan_ had 5 tons of advantage over me, not to mention the damage I took from the _Blue Flame_. So I quickly zipped left, away from the _Titan's_ line of fire. The _Titan_ trailed its weapons on me, but soon reached the end of its arc and had to pivot. I wasted no time and blasted my LBX before the _Titan_ could get a lock on me. The submunitions eviscerated its wrecked right torso. Tongues of fire burst out as chain explosions rocked the _Grand Titan_ back and forth, tossing titanium splinters to every direction.

The _Titan_ panicked and quickly fired its pulse lasers, but the poorly aimed beams missed my mech by several feet apart. I sent a twin wave of energy into the _Titan's_ exposed internals. The beams cut through the thick structure like hot knives through butter, and destroyed the generator. The _Grand Titan_ exploded into a fireball, staggering my mech with shockwave and splinters.

The heat inside the cockpit was unbearable. Waiting for the heat to subside, I observed the situation. The unexpected shootout with the _Grand Titan_ left my mech virtually useless for another battle. The Blakist could fire a .22 gun at my center torso and my _Gladiator_ would blast into flames; that was how thin my armor had gone. I had no choice but to retreat, leaving my comrades on the battlefield.

But perhaps we had been underestimating the Word of Blake too much. My lance mates had subdued the _Grand Crusaders _but they were, too, in no conditions to continue fighting. The _Marauder_ lost both arms, the _Warhammer_ had one PPC destroyed and dumped all coolant, and the _Crusader_ was in the same condition as me. In other fronts, we drove the Word of Blake against the wall, but we were too beaten up to make the final sweep, thanks to their last-minute burst of assault mechs.

"Kyle, my lance had reached combat loss grouping," I informed the Shooting Star leader. "I'm taking my lance out."

"You and me both, my friend," Kyle responded quickly. "Looks like they still own this place. All hands, fall back. This is not our day yet."

As the coalition force retreat methodically, one _Gurkha_ slipped under our defense and dashed straight at the _Longbow_. Evee's _Longbow_ and Jayne's _Thanatos_ showered the Blakist with missiles, but the _Gurkha_ zigzagged its way amidst explosions, then fired once at her cockpit. His beam lanced the _Longbow_ squarely on the torso, inches away from the cockpit. The shot was not critical, but Evee didn't have many slugging experience. More shocked than hurt, she teetered behind as if the shot almost took her life.

Out of nowhere Yamada swerved and cut the _Gurkha_'s path, taking its focus away from Evee. The _Gurkha_ crisscrossed its path, then swung and jammed its sword at the _Drillson's_ hull. The tip of the saber sliced the left hull of the hover tank. Tongues of fire burst from the engine, and the hover tank drifted aimlessly.

"Kill that sonofabitch!" I burst my lasers, spitting emerald beam strands at the Blakist. The _Gurkha_ recoiled at the right time, but Kyle's _Mad Cat Mk.II_ poured its firepower unto the light mech. One Gauss slug struck the _Gurkha_ in the midst, fatal shot that immediately crippled the reactor. Jayne and Natalie added the misery by their large-bored autocannons, and Evee finished the onslaught with well-timed missile sweep. The _Gurkha _roared, shredded to pieces by the energy burst that bloomed from its own reactor.

It didn't make sense what Yamada did. Evee was in no danger whatsoever, and her _Longbow_ could withstand a lot more punishment. The _Gurkha_ might aim for a headshot, but his lucky shot still shied away from the cockpit, and I doubted he was that lucky twice. But what Yamada thought mattered not. We had to get him out of his _Drillson_ quickly.

Stinging-cold air whipped my face as I opened my hatch, climbing out of my blazing mech. Smoke clouded my eyes, but even then I still could see the flickering light of Yamada's _Drillson_. I felt the skin on my palm melted with the armor of my mech as I climbed down, but the twinge was nothing compared to what I felt for Yamada. Several mechs stopped by and tried quickly to give aid, and I didn't notice who did what. My heart raced toward Yamada who was still trapped inside his craft.

Kyle, Natalie, Evee and Jayne tried to bust through the steel hatch but the fire made it impossible for them to even grip the handle. I stripped my cooling vest and used it as a heat jacket. I yanked the handle bar and the hatch popped open. A gust of heat and smoke lashed my face, and the acrid smoke of burning flesh choked me so much I felt throwing up. As I teetered backward, Jayne and Kyle jumped in and within minutes dragged Yamada out of the doomed _Drillson_.

I wished I hadn't seen him.

All I wanted to remember of him was a silent war machine which dove into battle as if fear was his ally. All I wanted to see was a proud warrior, an embodiment of ancient Bushido in a simple human being. But the heat robbed me from my wish. His hair was all gone, and his skin darkened in brittle crackings, vainly covering the red-fresh blood underneath.

"Oh God, Yamada..." Evee, gushing out tears, rested his head in her lap in a gentle care. "That shot was mine! Why did you have to do it? Look what you've done to yourself..."

But Yamada, if he felt pain at all, defied all humanly functionality and looked into her eyes with a razor-sharp stare. It was at that moment I realized what was happening. Whatever held him from coming into the open had perished, for he knew he only had minutes to do it. And pain wasn't going to stop him.

And Evee realized it, too.

"I'm glad to do it..." Yamada wheezed with his last breath. "Evee... I... I love... you..."

"No, no, please..." Evee tensed, watering Yamada's face with her fountain-like tears. "No... don't... "

"I always have... since we first met..." he gurgled out blood, "... and I always will..."

As his head slumped into Evee's embrace, I dipped my face into my chest. That was why he was always repugnant toward me. I was his mortal enemy, more than the Ghost Bears, more than the Word of Blake, more than anything. He didn't hate me because I was a Clanner. He hated me because I stood between him and the woman of his dream. And it could have ended in a much happier way, if he hadn't been cursed by the fact that I met Evee first.

I didn't know what to do. If only I knew that it was the problem, I could have... well, there was nothing I could have done. I could not have changed anything. I could only be grateful of what I had. Everything could have happened the other way, but didn't.

Evee's painful sobbings became the only echoes through the death valley as nobody moved, engaging a silent rite for the unlucky warrior. She wrapped her arms around her, nudging his head in a vain attempt to get him back, and maybe – just maybe – give him a bit more affection that he so dearly longed for. The affection that he deserved.

"I'll give him a proper requiem," Kyle whispered gently. "Get her out of here before she dehydrates herself crying."

I walked by her, still clutching Yamada, and gently tugged her arm. She rested his head only the ground, then swayed while getting up as if her bones had turned to mush. She avoided my eyes, but said the only thing she could've asked from me.

"Hold me."

* * *


	19. Chapter 18

**EIGHTEEN**

**Note:** If you haven't read _Jihad Secret_ sourcebook, you might be surprised at how this story turns out. I was very surprised too when I learnt it the first time. These facts are still hazy (as is discussed in threads on CBT), but they are the current state of Jihad up to this point. I thought it'd be cool to include these facts into IK3. Whatever FanPro decides for the future of these facts, I hope you enjoy this little "Oh-My-God-I-Can't-Believe-It" twist.

Huge thanks for **Kat Wylder** for providing insights on these facts.

* * *

_**Word of Blake HQ,  
**__**Victoria, New Avalon Combat Region,  
**__**Crucis March, Federated Suns,  
**__**March 31, 3077**_

We had waited long enough for this war to end. We stood in the brink of victory, but couldn't reach it. It was so close yet so far away. And the loss of Yamada dealt a huge blow to the Cavalier's morale. True, Yamada's demise was a result of his personal vendetta. But such a gesture ended in a big turmoil, due to the fact that the Word of Blake still had the punch to dent our defense.

So everything had to end. We could not afford to lose any precious personnel anymore. The longer we stayed here, the lower our morale went. And if the primary source for morale like Evee had lost her fighting spirit, other would just sink like a brick. That was why we had to finish the Blakist as soon as possible.

"We have to make sure we have no more case like Yamada," Kyle said, half grumbling, as we inched closer toward the Blake's base. "Evee, how are you holding up?"

"Fine," Evee replied shortly, but her tone gave up the truth that she was still shaken by Yamada's death.

"Stay out of the base," Kyle ordered, as if reading my mind. "Just bring in your firepower whenever we need it. Jayne, hit the MFB complex on the north east. My company will take on the Blakes from the south. Parker, lead the Cavaliers and clip the Blakes from the west. Spare them nothing, for you will receive none! I want every single one of them dead!"

"It's time to kick some fanatical asses!" Jayne wasted no time to dive into the base. His troops still showed enthusiastic response, which gave spirit to other mechwarriors. Tongues of fire burst from the _Thanatos'_ arms as missiles and lasers leapt into the air. On the other end, Blakist mechs swayed and staggered to sustain the attack. Burning ferro fibrous rained upon the MFB complex, forcing the technicians to abandon their posts.

Two _Albatroses_ recovered quickly and hurled a series of beam streaks toward the _Thanatoses_. The _Thanatoses_ balked away, missing the streaks by the inches, then returned fire with their own pulse lasers. The _Albatroses_ absorbed the attack and let loose a barrage of missiles. Several blasts ripped Jayne's _Thanatos_, pushing the 75-ton mech backward. But Jayne quickly regained his footing and fired off, pumping the last bits of energy on his lasers at one _Albatros_. Molten metal sprayed as the big _Albatros_ careened, coping with the loss of mass.

As the _Thanatoses_ took the brunt of the Blakist's attack, Jayne's medium lance strafed the Blakist's defenders unabated. The _Ravens_ painted the Blakists with NARC beacons, then the _Bushwackers_ and _Owens_ orchestrated a missile rain toward the Blakists. The _Uziels_ lobbed their particle bolts to their midst, keeping the _Albatroses_ fighting on their heels all the time.

"Give'em hell, soldiers!" Jayne roared through the comlink. "This is the end of the Word of Blake!"

My company had been reduced to two lances, so I split them and assigned the _Crab_, _Raven_, and 2 _Commandoes_ to protect Evee. I took the _Marauder_, _Warhammer_, and _Crusader_ into the base. A mixed Level-2 group cut us off, consisted of 3 _Lightrays_, two _Guillotine_-6WB, and one _Albatross_.

Normally I would not call for artillery if I thought I could handle the enemies myself. Somewhere at the back of my mind Clan mindset still lingered, and Clan mindset detested the use of artillery. But overwhelming victory would boost the morale of the Cavaliers, which were currently at the nadir point. So I brought Evee in, "Eev, Blake's Level-2 is blocking my path. Suppressing fire on my coordinate."

The Blakists' guns blitzed with fire, but missiles dashed from behind me, pouring down onto the six white mechs. Sparks and fireballs blended with dirt and smoke as the _Albatross_ swayed, staggering to maintain balance. The _Lightrays_ and _Guillotines_ fared no better luck. They wobbled afloat, victimized by the accurate shots of the Evee's company. Sizzling ferro-fibrous chastised the Albatross on the side, adding misery to the already shredded armor.

It was clear that the Blakists were fighting a battle they could not win, but they fought bravely, concentrating fire on the lighter mech while the _Albatross_ indomitably went after me. At 95 ton, the _Albatross_ was a formidable match for my mech. Its missiles snaked through the thickets of smoke and hammered my center torso. Its lasers followed suit, turning the cracks on my armor into sweltering jelly.

But the Blakist did not just fight me. He was fighting a company. Tracers of smoke filled the sky, flying in dazzling flares before thrusting into the _Albatross_' torso with animalistic vigor. Tongues of fire leapt with every impact. The white assault quaked, staggering to stay standing, but the missile attack took half of its power. I sent my lasers into its midst, and the big mech spiraled to the ground. Its segmented armor platting were ripped apart, its limbs were blowing off smoke, but it was still intact.

"Bust it!" Evee voiced her bloodlust over the comlink. "Show respect for Yamada!"

The _Albatross_ squirmed to get up, but I snapped a quick shot with my right LBX. Its right torso blasted into brilliant flares, throwing the mech back and forth. It swayed to regain balance, but its futile fight ended when another wave of missiles ripped its torso, blowing up the reactor. The reactor casing belched, spitting fire and radiant strands, while blue flash blossomed all around the white mech. Seconds later the 95-ton Blakist roared into a fireball.

The _Albatross_ went down relatively quickly, considering it had dozens of armor layers protecting its reactor. But battlemechs were just instruments. When the fighting spirit had lost, and the mechwarrior didn't see victory within sight, the battle was lost long before the first volley took place. That was what happened with the _Albatross_, and the Word of Blake as a whole. For the first time in what felt like eternity, we were fighting a crippled force.

"Finish them quickly!" I yelled as I brought my mech toward a _Lightray_. The closest _Lightray_ pitched up until all guns lined up with my cockpit. Hoping for a miracle, the pilot mashed the trigger, spitting multiple blasts toward my mech. My console screamed bloody murder, declaring proximity alarm. I jerked my joystick hard to the left, sidestepping a twin beam attack by the inches.

The _Marauder_ lunged toward the _Lightray_, paying little homage to the other medium Blakists. My lance mate took a good aim at the center of the _Lightray_, then fire two sharp particle bolts. Almost inhumanely the _Lightray_ flinched to dodge every single attack. Mesmerized, the _Marauder_ launched its secondary attack, spewing burst of lasers. The rushed attack flew several feet wide, and did nothing but to increase the heat level of the 75-ton relic.

The _Lightray_ pumped up its energy guns, peppering the fuselage of the _Marauder _as it tried to cool off, but the heavy mech shook off the attack. The little guy fought a respectable fight, but I could not pay homage to its gallantry. I swung to the Blakist's blind spot, and blasted my twin LBX20's. The short cannons belched fire, spitting fragmented shells at the _Lightray_. The unwary Blake was caught off guard. It managed to recoil, but half of my submunitions grazed its right leg. Sparks and smoke gushed out of the wound, and the hapless mech staggered to maintain balance. The armor caved in, revealing the struts in a hideous crack that stretched almost the entire length of its leg.

The _Marauder_ came back, taking advantage of the Blakist's momentary loss of focus. With a quick swing, the _Marauder_ lined up its nozzle with the _Lightray_, and blinding bolts burst from the tip of the guns. Seconds later the _Lightray's_ right leg breached into two parts, gutted by the razor-sharp assault of the _Marauder_. Shuddering hard, the _Lightray_ tumbled to the ground.

Armed with newfound wrath, the _Marauder_ cranked up its reactor and charged the other two _Lightrays_, but the two mechs backed away, regrouping with the other medium and light mechs that were cornered by the coalition force. Some other mechs fared worse fate than the _Lightray,_ numbingly hanging on their thread of lives while trying worthless counterattack. And the Claymores and Shooting Stars had smelled blood, inching closer while firing salvos after salvos. Sparks blossomed from every part of the mechs each time lasers, ballistics, or missiles hammered the Blakists. Flaming coolant spilled into the ground.

When I first came to Victoria, when I lost Kangpae, I felt the urge to make every Blakist on this planet pay for Kangpae. I wanted to look them in the eye and watch them burn as I sank my lasers into their midst. But now my bloodlust had subsided, replaced by disgust that the Word of Blake had been reduced into thugs unworthy of my time. I did not know if I had to feel proud or disappointed. Proud, because our patience and meticulous strategy finally paid off, or disappointed, because they 'cheated' me from my prize: a worthy last stand.

Nevertheless, the Word of Blake had to die. "Cavaliers! Rip'em apart!"

The sound of autocannons dominated the battlefield, coupled with hissing sound from the missiles and drumming explosions. Lasers and particle bolts bloomed with light, incising the Blakists from end to end. Three mechs quickly fell, turning into fireballs that lathered the battlefield with their light. Others rocked back and forth under the torrential firepower, gushing smoke and fire as their lives were taken away layer by layer.

The pressure didn't ceased. Evee's company brought down their suppressing fire, wiping out everything in sight, including buildings, trucks, conduits, silos, and many small structures. Jayne Dixon and his company were more accurate in their bombardment, but the shockwave from fallen Blakists destroyed everything within 50-meter radius, turning the headquarters into a junkyard.

Soon, the main Blakist defenders stopped their counterattack, but some light mechs still put up resistance. Three _Initiates_ came from my rear flank and peppered my back armor with their lasers. It was not a critical attack, but it made me mad. In other parts, _Gurkhas_ and Blakist-modified _Jenners_ sprung like mushrooms, executing sporadic attacks.

"Heads up, we still have light mechs crawling around the base," I said through general frequency. "I'm engaging three _Initiates_."

"Roger that," Kyle responded. "Natalie, split up and take Zoe to wipe out these bugs."

"Them fanatics still think they own the planet, don't they?" Jayne joined in, splattering his insult in a half-hearted jest. "They just won't stop wasting our time."

"Don't get too cocky too soon, Jayne," Natalie huffed. "They still have guns, and they still can kill you. Save the celebration for later. Zoe, form up on me and clean up this base!"

I whipped my _Gladiator_ to engaged the _Initiates_. Dexterity-wise, my mech was not a match against the light mechs, but one good salvo would render them useless. It was a classic speed versus power engagement. Many times I had been on the other side, and I still preferred it so, but everything did not always go to my liking. Luckily, I was in a suitable mech to go against the _Initiates_. My _Gladiator_ had enough agility to fight the small mechs.

As soon as I came into range, I fired my lasers. It was a hasty attack, and it didn't take a whole lot for the _Initiates_ to dodge the beams. They came back and their laser cannons flashed. I stood my ground and ate the attack. My mech trembled slightly sustaining volleys after volleys. The loss of armor induced a whirl on my neurohelmet, but I compensated it easily. My mech was bulky enough to sustain loss a ton or two without major change in the balance.

I fired my lasers again, straight into their midst, but they kicked their jets, eluding the murderous streaks. Once airborne, their movement became restricted to parabolic paths, and they became vulnerable from upward salvos. I hoisted my arms and let loose my Class-20 ballistics at the closest _Initiate_. The light mech was still 300 meters away, but the punching power of the LBX was devastating for a light mech like the _Initiate_. Fire burgeoned from the impact, tossing chipped ferro-fibrous into a wide area. The _Initiate_ twitched and rolled in the air, painfully losing balance before crashing back to ground, carving a wide crater in the process.

As the Initiate squirmed to get up, the other two returned fire, and I flinched as the beam streaks swished only a finger away from my shoulder. The _Initiates_ kept on firing in circular pattern, drawing themselves closer to me with each shot. They came as close as 50 meters apart, flashing their lasers madly. Each shot burnt a slab of armor, and my armor level drop down to yellow.

I knew I could not hit them when they were in full swing. I had to trap them, to make them anticipate a move I had no intention to commit. I trailed an Initiate running to my right, firing my right LBX, forcing it to run faster to my right flank. Then I quickly reversed direction, catching the other Initiate dead on its track. As my reticule burnt gold, I pumped the remaining weapons. At 75 meters, the result was fatal. A fireball inflated the _Initiate's_ right torso in a red-hot hue, spewing titanium shards and smoke like a geyser. Thelight mech staggered as its shoulder bled fire.

However, the _Initiate _recovered quicker than I thought. It cringed and lobbed its lasers, coupled by its comrade. The attack gnawed at my left arm. The _Initiates_ pumped their lasers several more times before disengaging, coping with heat. The better one ran toward Kyle's lance, while the one the mangled torso tried a path out of the base, hoping to use its speed to outrun everybody.

"Kyle, one _Initiate_ is heading from your way bearing 3-1-1," I called Kyle while taking a good aim at the one going out of the HQ. When my console screamed readiness, I pumped my lasers, spreading two emerald javelins that illuminated the dark void. The lasers stabbed the _Initiate_ right at the exposed torso. The light mech blasted, hurling scrap metal into a wide area.

The other _Initiate_ crisscrossed its path among building, but Kyle sank two Gauss slugs right into its chest. Sparks jetted from the torso when a splinter lodged into the primary engine chamber and cut the power cord. His lance mates followed his lead, pouring concentrated fire at the hapless light mech. The sparks ignited the coolant, and within seconds the _Initiate_ burst into flames.

"Nice shot," I said to Kyle as he came by and closed in to the first _Initiate_ I brought down.

"About time," he sneered as his big _Mad Cat Mk.II_ loomed over the small _Initiate_. "You left one unfinished."

"Do the honor," I lowered my weapons. "I am through with it."

Just when Kyle held his arms to finish the _Initiate_, my radar picked up a new movement. Big engines descended from the sky, but their signatures were not those of the friendlies. Seconds later PPC and Gauss slugs rained down upon our ranks, singeing dozens of unsuspecting coalition mechs that were busy engaging the remaining Blakists. Complete disorder broke out on the coalition's ranks as Union-class dropships made way through the smoke, bearing Word of Blake insignia.

"Back up! Back up! Regroup on the east!" Kyle barked his order. "Parker, take the Cavaliers out of the dropships' range!"

"Move, people!" I screamed. "Get out of their range!"

The comlink suddenly flooded with frantic screams. The Cavaliers zigzagged among buildings to reduce the chance getting singed by the dropships, but some were not quick enough. Thick suppression fire from the dropships disintegrated half of Evee's company in record time. Mechs after mechs exploded in brilliant color as they tried to clear the area, exposing their thin rear armor toward the dropships. Evee got two rounds of PPCs on her back, but her _Longbow_ had enough armor to withstand the attack.

Wasting no time, the dropships opened their bays as soon as they touched the ground. I would never believe what I saw if I didn't see it myself. Myriads of battlemechs scrambled out of the dropships, and Jayne's new database quickly identified them as the Manei Domini's Celestial Mechs. _Archangel_s. _Seraph_. _Deva_. _Grigori_. And there were still unidentified mechs crawling out of the bays, unmistakably assault mechs that sported the classic Star League look compared to the new, streamlined celestial series.

"Rally behind me!" I directed the Cavaliers. "Kyle, I have visual contact with 6 _Archangels_, 6 _Seraphs_, 12 _Grigoris_, and one Level-2 of unidentified mechs…"

"Unidentified my ass," suddenly David Malthus snapped. "That's the goddamn _Pulverizers!_"

"What? What _Pulverizer_?" my perplexity monopolized my conscience. "What are you talking about?"

"Wolverines, man! _Wolverines_!"

Wolverines, the Not Named Clan. Who would've thought that they were behind Jihad? I had to lean on my command couch to digest this new development. Now everything made sense. The Manei Domini had surpassed even the Clans in technology, although they were just a small faction within the Inner Sphere. They wouldn't have done it if they did not collaborate, got assistance, or acquired the technology from the Wolverine Clan. Come to think of it, I should have seen the red line between the two. The Not-Named Clan and the Word of Blake.

But how could the Wolverines survive? The Wolves abjured them years ago. Their names were stripped from the Remembrance. How could it possible that some still carried Wolverine banners for centuries? How could they hide all these years, completely unnoticed? How could they collaborate with the Word of Blake? How could they obtain cybernetic technologies without alerting major houses and Clans? And why Word of Blake?

I did not have the answers, and perhaps I would never do.

"Let them come! Ready to fire on my mark!" Kyle rallied the remaining mechs of the coalition as the Manei Domini snaked through the buildings. The Cavaliers regrouped in an in-line formation 200 meters behind me, while I fused with the Shooting Stars into another in-line formation behind a row of buildings. The Celestial Mechs started pouring their missiles and PPCs. One _Pulverizer_ lunged at me and sank its PPC from 850 meters away.

I had been hit by PPC many times, but this was something else. The impact shock felt like autocannon rounds, but the electric surge highlighted PPC hit. My HUD flickered incessantly, alternating between distorted images of the battleground and total static. My mech swayed to every direction, and I almost hit my head on charred console and splintered panoramic monitor. Acrid smoke invaded my lung. For a good moment I was rendered semi-catatonic.

I took several deep breaths to clear my view, and reached under my command couch to activate back up power. My mech jerked and writhed, coughed and sneered, but the alternate power source gave it a much-needed juice. Sparks burst from the console, but seconds later it flickered to life.

The Manei Domini struck with accuracy that I had not seen since fighting the Wolves. Each shot was calculated to give maximum impact. Our first defense line quickly crumbled, swept by the murderous firepower of Manei Domini. And the _Pulverizer's_ PPC delivered severe beatings, evaporating armors and frying electronics like a storm.

"Fire!" Kyle roared, initiating a wave of missiles, ballistics, and energy bolts. I pumped my lasers at the _Pulverizer_ that had reached just under 800 meters. The assault mech flinched in as if it were 20 tons less, but still caught one laser hit. The _Pulverizer's _torso gleamed, but it shook off the attack, then continued its path as if nothing happened.

Evee's company maintained a steady stream of missiles, keeping the Manei Domini at the defensive, but the Celestial Mechs possessed speed and agility better than the best mechwarriors I had ever seen. They took buildings and debris as their cover, then counterattacked in deadly accuracy. Evee's company started taking fire, and it was obvious that they would not stand a chance against the fresh Blake force.

"We can't win this way," Kyle stated, his voice drifted with distress. "Burn the buildings, then regroup at the HPG station!"

I switched target to the nearest building and unloaded my weapons. Concrete bits flew to every direction, followed by a cloud of debris. The Shooting Stars and the Claymore company did the same thing, destroying buildings within reach, creating a smoke screen that blinded the Manei Domini for a quick moment. Their firepower became astray as the debris hampered their radar. Missiles and ballistics zipped without apparent targets, and energy bolts did nothing more than illuminating the dark cloud.

Making use of this situation the most, I led the Cavaliers to escape, leaving the Word of Blake HQ.

* * *


	20. Chapter 19

**NINETEEN**

**Note**: This will be a bit lengthy, so please bear with me.

To **Dubhe**:  
1. I am glad that IK3 means more than just a story to you. However, I never intend to carry personal, religious, political, or racism message in this story. _**I,Kerensky**_ series are just fan fictions. I never meant it to be more than that. On the Prologue I did state that I copy the _fanaticism_ of certain religious groups to describe the Word of Blake. I do not copy the _ideology_. As a rule of thumb, BattleTech / MechWarrior is an _agnostic_ and _neutral_ universe. I intend to keep this series that way. So: Is WoB terrorist? Most certainly is. Is it based on Hamas? I doubt it. WoB and Hamas might be similar in fanaticism, but they fight for very different reasons.  
2. Will WoB make a political statement? I think they did in the beginning of Jihad. Does anybody have a source for this?  
3. Negotiation with WoB? No. On the BTech / MW sourcebooks it is stated that Devlin Stone / Victor Davion did not give WoB mercy. I'm following canon.  
4. Why Victoria? See the comment to **Ashley** below.  
5. Who are the Wolverines? They are an ancient Clan that was abjured (absorbed?) by Clan Wolf. There are numerous materials about them on the web, so you can browse the web and find the information, because it'll be too long for me to put all the information here.

To **Ashley**:  
1. Why am I killing off my own characters? Because I'm a psycho... he he, no I'm kidding. I'm just trying to write something realistic. War kills. Everybody loses something in a war.  
2. How are the Cavaliers going to defeat the WoB with decreasing personnel? Don't forget the Winsome Rose and 13th Wolf Regulars. They are coming back!  
3. Why am I bringing the Wolverines? Well, first of all, it's canon. The new Jihad Sourcebook stated that the Wolverines were back behind the Word of Blake. As to why, what, how, I don't know. This fact has not been cleared by FanPro. If you like, you can read some threads in CBT where people discuss this problem, but again, everything is just speculation up to this point.  
4. Why Victoria? Well, that will be answered on this chapter. **TheGreenKnight** prepared this chapter that explains why everything happens this way (another guest author submission!).  
5. Is IK3 26 chapters long? More or less. The body will be 25 chapters long. I have Epilogues for IK1 and IK2 that make them 26. I already have a Prologue for IK3. So with Epilogue, this will be 27 chapters total. Since we're at Ch.19 now, you know it'll be climaxing soon.

I'm also happy to announce that IK1 had reached 10,000 hits since its release in 2006, while IK2 is only 700 hits behind. It is so satisfactory, knowing that people still reading part 1 and 2 up to this point. From the bottom of my heart I thank you readers for giving me such a great honor and appreciation. As an amateur writer, it means a whole lot.

As I mentioned, **TheGreenKnight** wrote a large part of this chapter, mostly the part about why the Word of Blake took on Victoria. This chapter pays homage to great BattleTech writers such as **The Wobbly Guy** (the greatest amateur writer there is), **Tryptich** (another great writer), our friends **Sentinel28** and **Kat Wylder**. So thank you **TheGreenKnight** for the submission. And also, I'm including Samantha Rose's poem. After thinking about it for months, I finally found the perfect time to put it in.

Anyway, please enjoy the calm before the storm.

* * *

_**HPG Station,  
**__**Victoria, New Avalon Combat Region,  
**__**Crucis March, Federated Suns,  
**__**April 29, 3077**_

The arrival of Manei Domini and the alleged Wolverine Clan gave everybody nightmare. It was hard enough to grasp that we were on the defensive again, after several months of near closure. Now the fact that the ancient clan had come back behind Word of Blake banner had turned our fighting spirit nonexistent. Most of the troops felt that their lives were sealed. Nobody thought about going home anymore. I could not depend on the majority of the coalition anymore.

But call me unrealistic when I still thought there had to be a way to escape the Word of Blake. This was about me, Evee, Alison, Kyle, Natalie, and probably Jayne getting out of here alive. As for the rest of the Cavaliers and Shooting Stars, the hope of bringing them home alive was virtually destroyed. I might sound mean, but it was the bitter truth.

The coalition still had a cushion at Lomme: The Winsome Rose, a mercenary unit that used to work for the Word of Blake. They had confirmed their change of allegiance, and we could always take refuge at Lomme. Their history gave me doubt, but at this point, I did not have any choice. As much as I hated to give up some ground to the Manei Domini, I knew it was innevitable. I had to bring the war to Lomme. Then maybe, just maybe, I could save a significant amount of personnel.

So I talked Kyle and Natalie into negotiating with the Winsome Rose. We used the HPG to contact them, and we didn't bother to encode our transmission. We wanted the Manei Domini to know that we are going to Lomme. We wanted them on our tails, so we can make them fight the Winsome Rose. At least it will buy us time.

"I surmise the war doesn't go your way on the front line," Victor Canonizado said as his face emerged on the communication screen. "Otherwise you won't bother to see me again."

"The Manei Domini has arrived," Kyle explained. "Two Level-4 units had landed here. They were equipped with the latest technologies: the Celestial Mechs. And they are carrying with them traces of ancient enemies, something that nobody expected to see again: Clan Wolverine. Everybody thought they were extinguished centuries ago. Guess everybody was mistaken."

"The presence of Manei Domini and Wolverine Clan gave me an idea that they have big interest on Victoria," I added. "I have spent a lot of time on the HPG uplink to see what exactly the Word of Blake is looking for on Victoria, but I can't find anything."

"You can't find anything from the uplink," Rica commented. "It's a controlled media, and the Word of Blake has the majority of the news altered to their favor. That's what I do if I control most of the HPG connection."

"Do you know something that we don't?" Natalie blurted.

"Depends," Victor replied. "Our Uncle Bien wrote a diary about his findings. This Word of Blake problem rooted back centuries ago, during Star League era. You are right, there are more to Victoria than just an agricultural backwater planet. I'll forward it to you. I hope you can find it useful. And you can bring your troops to Lomme. We are ready to take on the Manei Domini."

"That is much appreciated," Kyle said diplomatically. "I will send message to Devlin Stone or Victor Davion about our situation, then I will destroy the HPG and regroup with your force at Lomme. We will take on the Word of Blake together." As he cut off the comlink, he shot a disparaging look at me. "I hate it when I have to rest my fate on uncertainty."

"At this point, uncertainty is better than certainty of death," I assured him, knowing exactly what he was thinking. "They got us cornered, and this is the only exit left." Just then, my Inbox blinked, showing me that a rather large file had just been dumped into it. "This must be the diary of 'Uncle Bien' Victor was talking about."

"You read it," Kyle took off briskly, followed by Natalie. "Let me know if you find anything useful. Otherwise, keep it to yourself."

* * *

_**HPG Station,  
**__**Victoria, New Avalon Combat Region,  
**__**Crucis March, Federated Suns,  
**__**May 1, 3077**_

The 'Uncle Bien' diary contained so many unrevealed facts that I did not know what to gain from it. One thing was right, Victoria was more than just a staging arena for the Word of Blake, like I previously thought. But this personal journal was far from complete. It did not explain, for instance, how the Word of Blake knew about this fact before the FedSuns, who owned Victoria up to Jihad. It did not explain why 'Uncle Bien' decided to keep it hidden, as if he was waiting for trouble. And it did not explain anything about Wolverine's connection, the fact that I longed to know the most.

But aside from the incomplete facts, this diary would be enough to drive the Davions to stampede to Victoria. I told Kyle about this, and he was eager to see Victor Davion or Devlin Stone racing toward Victoria. As for me, I had my own cavalries. Diary or no diary, Wolverine's presence had given me a reason to invite the 13th Wolf Regulars to Victoria.

_From: Parker  
To: Star Colonel Akela Kerensky  
archival reference code 1656-A: transcribed from message via augmented speaking stone,  
sealed and encoded_

_So, Star Colonel Akela, it's been a while._

_As you probably already know, I went to this planet on a mission to assist the 160th Davion Guards out of the fire. Really, it was a personal call, the leader of the unit is my close friend; I mean me and him go way back... Apparently, as honorary members of the Davion guards, they were obligated to launch a humanitarian mission to evacuate some big-wigs from Doering Electronics off Victoria._

_Victoria wasn't really an important world even in the glory days of the old Federated Commonwealth. Always simply playing the part of the sleepy backwater farming community, I always wondered why the Word of Blake was attracted to this planet. Aside from the small research facility owned by Doering electronics that was built after the war of '39 to take advantage of recently re-discovered Star League technology, this planet of three million holds very little of interest._

_  
So, why is the Word of Blake here?  
Even before I dropped on-planet, I already had my suspicions why the Word of Blake would be attracted to an agricultural world. And, why did they send two of their premier units – the Bad Moon 3-Gamma and the Silver Thorns 2-Sigma – to accomplish a simple planetary conquest. Considering that the opposing force (which was my friend Kyle's unit) was less than a full regiment? Don't you think that two entire level-5 units are a bit "overkill" when dealing with a force less than one third their size?_

_Since the Warden Wolves watch has been operating in some capacity here in Davion space through the Wolf's Dragoons since 3009, and since the former Duke of Victoria was a former Dragoon employer before they got involved in the Marik Civil War, I had a treasure trove of information to draw upon. Okay, for starters, did you know that Victoria was a former Hegemony world? Surprised? Well, honestly so was I!  
You know, I was always under the impression that the Liao Commonality got first dibs on this planet, then Simon Davion and his boys took it away from them during the "Age of war". Of course, this is all pre-Star League, so records are sketchy at best._

_So, after being made apart of the "Capellan Pact" in 2561, the "official" history of this planet began. The really shocking part was discovering that for nearly two-hundred years unto the fall of the Star League in 2769, there was a secret research facility here. That's right, a military test lab, but not in any official records because it was so hush-hush..._

_So, then, we have to ask: Why does this secret research facility not appear in any official Star League chronicles from the time of the exodus? The answer isn't a simple one I assure you, for it has been buried in several layers of previously told lies._

_First, when Stephan the Usurper began his coup in 2769, the project was already half-way complete. The private contractor (originally Bowie Industries) - fearing that a change in government will result in a loss of existing scientific financial grants - decided to wait-out which ever faction would be victorious. To that end, he sequestered the research team in some backwater planet wherein the work could continue without interruption. So when a winner finally became apparent, he would then sell the research to the highest bidder. But even as this was taking place, the leading scientist was accidentally captured by the usurper's forces in Hiltonhead island;he was then subsequently brought to Geneva for questioning._

__

Second, the leading scientist – a certain Albert Green – was fatally wounded when the Star League palace was re-captured in Geneva, Switzerland, Terra. Being a prisoner of war, Dr. Green refused to divulge his life's work regarding this top-secret project. Now, the remaining work was completed by his apprentice Burke, who by all accounts was incompetent and a primadonna, it was then later revealed that he was the one who betrayed Dr. Green to the usurper's forces, all because he was given a larger offer by Doering Electronics; this person then cut corners and destroyed the original research to prevent general Kerensky from knowing of his complicity in the betrayal. This resulted in the only surviving copies of the original data to be present in the developmental lab itself. As you know, I have ascertained the location of this lab to be in Victoria, and is the primary pursuit of the Blakist forces on-planet.

Third, remember that the whole endeavour was undertaken by a private contractor; they acted without the official mandate of the Star League quartermaster. Thus, the only records would be in the archives of the said private firm.

And lastly, fourth, the company's Senior vice-president was funding the project with money sourced from an embezzlement scam. With this kind of convoluted paper-trail, we were indeed lucky that the Dragoons had gathered the miniscule information that they had.

_Bowie Industries went out-of-business temporarily in the beginning of the 1st succession war, because of this, they lacked funds to continue the progress of the research. So, they just covered-up the whole affair, hoping that in the future they will have enough funds to re-open the project. They wisely hid the lab under a small town, and sold the land above the secret lab to settlers from New Avalon. These future settlers would then found the city of Lomme.  
The lab established by Doering Electronics on-planet was nothing but a front, so that they could conduct an archaeological dig to find lost-tech. What they didn't know was that Doering Electronics also had a strong interest in the project which they had learned from their spy Burke. So the company has been searching for the covert lab for nearly three centuries now._

_The objective of this secret research project was to create the next-generation of battlemechs. And not just any mechs, this new mechs would incorporate the stealth systems specifically developed for the _Exterminator_ Mech.  
This new mech would also feature other experimental systems that first appeared in Star League-exclusive mechs, for example: the Extra-light engine from the _Lancelot_, the skeleton of the _Thug_, the extended-range weapons of the _Crocket_. All of this would be brought together to form the Celestial Mechs.  
Now, you have to understand that the Blakists are not the only players here; just last month, my troops engaged _Pulverizer_ mechs among the new Celestial series from the Word of Blake. You know what it means. The Wolverines are back, possibly as the reason behind Manei Domini's technological surge that made even the Clan's look like medieval technologies. If you question my words, I attached screenshots from my battleROM. _

_But we are still lucky that most of this leg-work was already done by an amateur archaeologist named Bien Canonizado, who retired to this planet after serving with the Snowbirds Mercenary Regiment. Legend has it said that he originally found the hidden lab back in '52 along with his wife Felisanna. But as fate would have it, the Blakists got to him first, and he died without anybody having extracted the necessary information from him. Fortunately, his nephew Victor Canonizado arrived with the final piece of the puzzle--his uncle's diary._

_When the Winsome Rose mercenary group came on-planet, they had no idea that they were sitting on a fortune's worth of lost-tech. They started as greedy mercenaries, and I am still a bit fearful that they may betray us to the WOB, but Eve begins to treat both twins like the daughter and son we never had. I see myself in Victor sometimes, the next time I fight him, I can't really guarantee that I will win again, if only because of my conscience. Fortunately, I don't have to make that choice as of yet, because we still have to vanquish the Word of Blake _and_ the Wolverines from this rock._

"Do you think they'll come?" Evee came by and sat by me.

"They will," I exhaled as I pressed the 'Send' button. "Wolverine is the thorn in Clan's flesh. They will make it a priority to vanquish the Wolverine. It'll be good if Malthus can bring in his Jade Falcon comrades, but I'm afraid their presence may interfere with Akela's interest. Perhaps the 13th Wolf Regulars is enough."

"Do we have enough time until they arrive?"

I hesitated to answer. I knew Evee was not talking about me, herself, or her Davion friends. She was talking about Alison and the rest of the Cavaliers. I did not want to lie to her, but I did not want her to get depressed by the truth. And I thought Evee knew the answer, judging from my hesitation.

"Do you believe in life after life?" she leaned her head on my shoulder.

"How should I know? I have never been there." I picked her hand. "Why are we talking about it?"

"When you're closing in to death, you tend to think about it," she sighed in response. "People believe that there is a place for saints where the rivers are of milk, where pain and sorrow is no more, and time is eternity. There is another place where all the murderers and wickeds go. There is nothing but flame that burn them alive, but they're not dying out. There's no ending to their pain."

"Eev, that's absurd," I scoffed. "How do you separate the wicked from the saint? Heroism and villainy depends on which side wins the war. We are no different than the Word of Blake. We are all murderers. We are the heroes if we win, traitors to humanity if we lose. That is why we can't lose this war."

She raised her head and looked at me with a somewhat disappointed look. "You have no faith whatsoever, do you? Everything is logic to you."

"It's keeping me alive."

She stared at me for a long time. I didn't know what she was thinking. Perhaps she was depressed, just like any other soldiers in this situation. Or perhaps she was thinking about death, about losing me, about me losing her, or about her own life. This was the first time we talked about death, and I was not sure what to tell her except that I would do everything in my power to keep her alive.

But her concept of afterlife was intriguing. I never cared about the afterlife. I lived in my time, and when my time ended, I became nothing but the past. Evee seemed to believe that life did not end at the time of death. I found it hard to believe in the afterlife, particularly because I had never seen it, and there had been no one that ever confirmed such a thing existed.

But for now, I'd let it pass. If it kept her spirit up, I'd let her daydreaming about the afterlife.

"I want you to have something," she said while rummaging her pocket. "I wrote something for you the day after you proposed to me. I never intend to let you know, but I may not survive tomorrow. Here," she put a piece of paper in my hand. "If you don't believe in the afterlife, then I hope this piece will remind you of me as long as you live."

"Eev, I told you," I tried to spurn her gift. "You are not going to die..."

"Just take it, dammit!" she hissed. "I may die in my exploding mech. That may be the last piece of me that you have."

I felt sad that she had to think about her death this soon. But for the sake of logic, she was right. If she died in an explosion, this paper might be the only thing from her that I could hold on to. So I took the paper and unfolded it, revealing a collumn of poem.

_THE COUGAR AND THE HAWK_

_I dream of seas beneath a prow  
That leaps upon the surging waves,  
And winds that toss and whip and run  
Upon a distant watery realm.  
I dream of sea birds crying high  
Above familiar rampart walls  
Whereon I watch and there! afar  
An ashen sail gleams on homeward reach.  
I dream of green beloved ways  
Where once I fared in childish quest,  
For magic in a daisy's face  
And mystery 'neath a maple bower.  
A silvered wing on salty airs  
Soars high above and far beyond  
And with it wings my questing heart  
To shores beyond a distant sun.  
But now my seas are waves of emerald grass,  
And winds bear rumor from afar  
Of snow upon the frowning peaks  
And rain on stern and silent hills.  
The very air is scented strange,  
The breezes murmur parchment dry,  
Caressing like an old maid's hand  
Yet comfort will not find me so.  
The vault of sky bears not a sound  
And 'midst that endless whisp'ring space  
I shrink within, a small, lost thing  
Cast far upon the winds of chance;  
Far from that long familiar hearth  
Where blessed voices ring and laugh,  
Swept like the gull on tempest gales,  
Alas my homeward shores are lost.  
Now hark! A step within the hall,  
And comes the master of this house.  
He paces like a tethered Cougar,  
This golden king, this warrior's son.  
Pale-green eyes burn with kindled flame  
And strength and power rest in his hand;  
Born to hauberk, sword and spear,  
He is the Mark; the Mark is him.  
But oh I see a light within,  
I feel a trembling in his touch.  
So soft his lips touch mine and then  
He smiles into my eyes and speaks;  
Sweet words that lift my heart awhirl  
And banish shadows hurrying.  
My love has come and in his hands  
My heart rests like a nestling bird.  
For he is mine and I am his;  
The Cougar and the Hawk abide,  
One soul within our separate hearts,  
As river joins with restless sea.  
For though we come from lands apart,  
One borne of sea, the other sky,  
We twain are joined in matchless bonds  
And all he treasures, so shall I.  
I am his and he is mine;  
My king rests in my cradled arms,  
His golden head upon my breast,  
Whilst slumber doth caress his brow.  
Sleep, my king, my matchless love,  
And rest 'til duty calls thee forth,  
For I shall guard thy gentle rest  
As thou hast guarded e're my heart._

"It is pretty," I said the only thing I knew. "If I could come up with something half as pretty as this, I would be very happy."

She smiled. "I can take any of your buttons and I will feel very happy. You know, something to remember you by in case you perish in a blaze of fire."

"If that makes you happy," I ripped one of my buttons and gave it to her. "You know that this is just for now. I will come up with something else."

"You do that, silly Clanner," she hugged me tightly.

* * *

_**In Memoriam**_

_**Samantha R. Fruno**_


	21. Chapter 20 Thanksgiving Special

**TWENTY**

**Note: **Finally! I am sincerely sorry for such a long wait (3 months?). As promised, here's the next installment of IK3. Originally I planned this chapter to be another "loss" chapter, but it's 2 days to Thanksgiving, so I think I'll lighten up the mood a bit. So here it goes. Enjoy and Happy Thanksgiving everybody!

* * *

_**City of Lomme,  
**__**Victoria, New Avalon Combat Region,  
**__**Crucis March, Federated Suns,  
**__**March 2, 3078**_

Time went by faster than I realized. The Word of Blake kept my mind occupied most of the time that I forgot the fact we had been here for 4 years. I also forgot that we had been separated with the Winsome Rose for 3 years. They never looked sharper, partly because they organized themselves well against the Word of Blake, partly because they made use of the secret cache they found near Lomme. They had reinforced themselves with Star-League mechs and an additional aerospace division.

**Winsome Rose Fighter Squadron:**

Guardian lance  
RPR-100 _Rapier_ (Katrina Sakamoto, squadron leader)  
RPR-100 _Rapier_ (Jill Francess Manuel, second in command)  
HCT-213B _Hellcat II_ (Reynalyn Madronio)  
HCT-213B _Hellcat II_ (Melanie Saturos)

Strike Lance  
STU-K5 _Stuka_ (Bill Ward)  
STU-K5 _Stuka_ (William King)  
HCT-213B _Hellcat II_ (Aurella Estrella)  
HCT-213B _Hellcat II_ (Nanette Lacsamana)

Scout Lance  
F-10 _Cheetah_ (Rocky Usis)  
F-10 _Cheetah_ (Richard Alex Tindugan)  
F-10 _Cheetah_ (Orlando Gagarin)  
F-10 _Cheetah_ (Francisco Naval)

Escort Lance  
GTHA-500 _Gotha_ (Nestor Dizon)  
GTHA-500 _Gotha_ (Rodel Paciente)  
GTHA-500 _Gotha_ (Brian Esporlas)  
GTHA-500 _Gotha_ (Jennifer Brillantes)

Sword Lance  
_Jagatai Prime_ (Guillan Geronimo)  
_Jagatai Prime_ (Randolph De Los Santos)  
_Jagatai Beta_ ( Jefree Juaquin)  
_Jagatai Beta_ (Christian Leonard Agodon)

Travel Lance  
KR-61 Long-Range Shuttle (Katrina Halili)  
KR-61 Long-Range Shuttle (Yazmin Curdy)

"This is what we need," Jayne Dixon stated as he observed the aerotech lineup. "This will make a difference in the upcoming battle. I can assure you that the Word of Blake has wings of aerotech support, and they will use them to pelt us from the sky. Now we have something to counter their advance."

"Not only aerotech fighters, but infantries as well," Victor Canonizado added. "Citizens of Lomme had pledge their allegiance to Winsome Rose. They know where we stand, and they are sick of the Word of Blake too. We had supplied them with weapons, from pistols to shoulder-mounted SRMs."

"You armed the civilians?" Kyle squinted. "We are not supposed to put civilians in danger."

"They can shoot, hence they are soldiers," Rica Canonizado replied. "That's good enough for me."

"I am not comfortable with paramilitary, Commander Canonizado," Kyle pressed his concern. "They are not trained to fight the way we were. I'm afraid we'd just send them to die."

"In case you haven't fully understood our situation, Major Garret, there's no such thing as civilian anymore," Victor backed up his sister. "Everybody is responsible for his or her own life. That's the way they chose for being responsible. Lomme is, first and foremost, their city. We're just guests here."

Suddenly Victor's and Rica's comset buzzed. "Commander, we have multiple bogeys coming inbound, bearing zero-niner-five, ten clicks and closing!"

"Word of Blake battlemechs?" Victor asked.

"No, Commander, aerotechs! We're getting bombed!"

"Scramble!" Rica screeched onto her comset. "Sakamoto, take your squadron up and strip them off! Winsome Rose, on your battlestations! Our old customers are giving us a visit, and we'll give them the warmest welcome party they'll ever get!"

The frantic rushes from pilots and techs soon shape-shifted into aerospace rows on the landing pads, waiting their turns to claim their places in the sky. Blue flames danced on the nozzles, and their body doubled in length as the fighters sped up on the runways. Katrina Sakamoto's big _Rapier_ thundered along the runway as the first of the pack, leaving trails of fire on the hard concrete.

As Katrina led her squadron into the sky, a cloud of aerospace fighters descended upon Lomme. Their white paint blended well with the blue sky, like a bead of real cloud carrying rain drops, only this time they were bombs instead of water. The Word of Blake always painted their war machines white as a moniker for their _purity_.

_Purity_. Well, purity my ass.

Two squadrons of Word of Blake might be too much for Katrina to handle, so the ground troops – mechs, tanks, infantries – regrouped into pockets of aerospace batteries, ready to fill the sky with leads and fire. I lined up my mech next to Kyle's, facing the Word of Blake menace. Some infantries – Lomme inhabitants with shoulder-mounted SRMs – climbed my mechs to get a clear shot at the incoming fighters. Some populated Kyle's _Mad Cat _too. I could understand Kyle's concern about letting these civilians be a part of the war. But this was a matter of life and death. Anybody who could fight should fight, because it was their future they were fighting for.

Outnumbered 2 to 1, Winsome Rose's aerospace squadron did not show fear and dove straight into the Word of Blake's midst. It was not long until the first blood was spilt. Laser bolts and missiles zipped in either directions, and within minutes the sky burst into flames and fumes. Stricken fighters plummeted to the ground with long, bleeding fiery smoke from their hulls.

The groups quickly broke formations and attacked the nearest targets. Two Winsorme Rose's _Hellcats_ gave a chase at a massive TR-15 _Transgressor_, sporting a Heavy PPC on each wing. The 75-ton fighter weaved left and right to shake the lighter fighters, but the _Hellcats_ were latching onto it like a couple of ticks at the back of the beast. Laser after laser gnawed the rear armor of the _Transgressor_, overloading the engine with heat. When twin bolts cored the exhaust nozzles, a great fireball engulfed the 75-ton fighter. The _Transgressor_ reeled and spun to the ground, even before it had a chance to fire its massive Heavy PPCs.

But the Word of Blake struck back hard. A white _Sabutai_ omnifighter lined up behind one of the _Hellcats_ and unloaded everything it had. PPCs and lasers turned the armor into metal gelatin, and the gauss slug crunched the structures unabated. The fuselage split into two parts, and the gutted _Hellcat_ sailed down to its doom. The other _Hellcat_ looped and rolled to escape the _Sabutai_, only to meet two Blakist _Corsairs_ midway. The Corsair's lasers cut short of the _Hellcat's_ engine. The hapless Winsome Rose erupted in brilliant flash.

Two Winsome Rose's _Jagatais_ broke formation and took on the Blakist _Corsairs_, while Katrina Sakamoto went head to head with the _Sabutai_. Having 10 ton advantage, Katrina steadied her fighter and launched a pair of PPCs. One flew over the _Sabutai's_ cockpit but the other flogged its wing. Broken flaps and ailerons whizzed in mid air as the 75-ton omnifighter started to capsize. Katrina held her fire, waiting for the Sabutai to regain balance, then pumped out her autocannon. The sound thundered in the sky, and the Sabutai's wing tore up to pieces.

As the omnifighter plummeted, another big aerotech fighter showed up: the mighty _Riever_. Hauling 100 tons of death, the flying fotress quickly fired its missiles at Katrina. The squadron leader banked hard to the left to avoid the missiles, but her 85-ton craft was not agile enough to dodge the missiles. Six warheads slammed onto the fuselage, stipping all but the very bottom layer of ferro-fibrous armor.

Katrina fought to regain balance and returned fire. Ten missiles hammered the top hull of the _Riever_, shredding armor like paper. Her PPCs exploited the scars, ripping the armor deeper into the structure. Smoke billowed from the hull just behind the cockpit.

But the _Riever_ had enough skin and sufficient body weight to sustain the attack. It quickly regained control of its course and flew straight at Katrina, waiting for its monstrous AC20 to get into range. Undaunted, Katrina held her fighter straight and prepared all guns for the showdown. The two behemoths quickly reached nominal distance and both fired alpha strike at the same time, pumping leads into each other's body. The rattle of their autocannons dominated the battlefield for a quick few seconds. Fire and smoke blended into one plume as the two fighters crossed path, then quickly spun out of control. Katrina managed to pull her ejection lever just before her fighter exploded. The _Riever's_ pilot was not that lucky.

"Guardian One is down!" somebody else screamed on the comlink. "This is Guardian Two, I'm taking over. There are too many of them! We'll hold them as long as we can."

"Let them pass, Jill," Victor replied. "Get your squadron out of there."

"Say that again?"

"You've done enough. Break contact with enemy units. We'll take them from here."

The Winsome Rose squadron did a good job, taking down about a third of the Word of Blake air power. But they had sacrificed half of their personnel, and asking them to peel more Blakists off the sky would be too much. We might need them later. History stated that air power was the key to victory in many wars.

"Get your guns hot and ready," Kyle took command of the ground defenders. "Fire on my mark!"

As the Winsome Rose squadron broke off, the Word of Blake regrouped and came toward Lomme. The faster fighters led the swarm, grouping into a large wedge formation like the tip of a spear. The slower, heavier fighters followed behind, but I could see holes in their formation. The Winsome Rose squadron did a terrific job by going after the heavier fighters. The loss of the big guns would make our job much easier.

"Hold!" Kyle yelled as the lighter fighters started strafing the ground troops. Missiles and long-range ballistics chafed the mechs, tore into the armor of tanks, and wiped out half of the infantries that scattered around the city. Two warheads slammed into my right shoulder. The impact did not affect me much, but half a dozen troops fell off my mech. Some went down in pieces, gutted by the two explosions and shrapnel from chipped armor.

"Now! Fire at will!" Kyle screamed, and barrages of return fire lit up the sky. Missiles and cannon rounds blended with laser and PPC bolts into a cobweb of fire, stabbing the Word of Blake fighters from underneath. The light fighters did not stand a chance against the fire wall. One by one they plummeted in fury, slamming into buildings and hard-plastered streets. Some fighters escaped the mechs and tanks by taking erratic maneuvers, but the infantries got them with shoulder-mounted SRMs. None survived the barrages.

Then the heavy fighters came.

The brunt of the fire shifted toward the heavy fighters, but they had enough armor and body weight to walk through the fire. They strafed the ground units, trying to alleviate the pressure. Several medium tanks and light mechs staggered under the onslaught, and the defense formation started to break. Some Blakist fighters also hammered the buildings, forcing the infantries to crawl out of the burning structures.

My targetting reticule was set against an incoming _Sabutai_ when a _Kirghiz-B_ glided toward my rear flank, trying to wreak havoc among Alison's lance. It was the biggest Clan omnifighter, the _Dire Wolf_ of the sky. A Wolverine emblem was painted across the traditional Word of Blake white scheme. Alison's missile power hit it like a wave, but the 100-ton omnifighter kept flying, as if the missiles did not do anything to it.

"Malthus!" I yelled as I shifted my target at the big plane. I could've called Evee or Kyle for assistance, but I thought David Malthus would have been grittier in killing a Wolverine. My lasers found its left wing, burning a ton of armor, but failed to do damage. The loss of mass, however, threw its aim. The _Kirghiz_ leaned on its left, passing Alison's lance harmlessly, then sped up to take another pass. Alison's lance threw everything at the big plane, but like a _Dire Wolf_, it absorbed all enemy firepower and continued on its path.

"See it!" David's reply came in loud and clear. "They should've kept hiding like cowards that they are!" Forty missiles leapt and greeted the _Kirghiz_, hammering the left wing where my lasers made a mark a second ago. Pieces of broken aileron rained down the street as the _Kirghiz_ quaked. Black smoke twirled from the aileron, but the _Kirghiz_ still flew.

My lasers were out of range by now, and I was just about to start running when a trace of gauss slug whizzed and ripped the _Kirghiz_ left wing apart. The 100-ton fighter quickly overturned to the left and spiralled down into a building. A massive explosion brought the building down, and cloud of debris filled the void where the building was a second ago.

"Wolverine scum," I heard Rica fizzled over the comlink. "They shouldn't come here!"

The Blake fighters completed the pass. Their firepower wiped out half of the medium tanks and put the infantries in total disarray. But no battlemech had been downed, only scratches and moderate damages on some of the lighter ones. The Winsome Rose squadron had absorbed some of the Blakist firepower, so they could not pull off the necessary strike to cripple the defender's main force – the battlemechs.

"Get ready," Kyle rallied the defenders as the Blakists turned for another pass. "I want them out this time. Give them everything you've got! No Blake's fighter may leave Lomme alive! This city belongs to us!"

The rhythmical rattles of autocannons mixed with battlecries throughout the comlink. Pillars of lasers and particle bolts filled up the sky, interspersed with missile and ballistic tracers. The Blakes, worn out by the first barrage, started taking critical hits. Intermittent explosions illuminated the sky, and omnifighters fell like burning raindrops.

Knowing that their numbers declined in alarming rate, the Word of Blake regrouped and focused on light mechs. PPC bolts mowed the streets where light and medium mechs stood, and this maneuver proved to be effective. Light mechs were not designed to withstand PPC, so in quick succession mech parts started flying at different directions.

Alison's lance shared the same fate.

Already lost two lancemates, Alison zigzagged through the laser and missile rain, but one unfortunate gauss slug hammered her left leg. Her _Assassin_, scarred and shot up, churned to the side before tumbling down in front of a building. Alison tried to get up, but a _Shilone_ rained down its missiles upon her. Scream of terror reverberated on the comlink as the white wide-winged _Shilone_ dove for the kill, like a falcon gunning for its paralyzed prey.

"Eev! Alison's down!" I throttled my mech to a sprint while firing my lasers, hoping to bug the _Shilone_ away. I tried my best to shoot the cockpit, but I could only hit its hull. I knew how much Alison meant to Evee, and I could imagine the phychological damage if Evee had to lose her. But it seemed innevitable. My lasers did only little scuff mark to the _Shilone_, while my LBX cannons were still out of range.

The gun nozzles of the _Shilone_ started to flicker when a wave of missiles bludgeoned it from behind. The _Shilone_ lost its balance and weaved to the side. It tried to pull up, but there was not enough space between it and the building ahead. The aerotech fighter rammed the building full force, breaching its wings in the process. The building went down, burying what was left of the Word of Blake fighter.

"Get your hands of her!" I heard Evee screamed as her _Longbow_ rushed to the pile of debris. She hoisted her arms and blasted the downed building, with the _Shilone_ trapped underneath. Dust and smoke blended into one gigantic mushroom, and one second later, a fireball blossomed from the center of the pile.

"Alison, are you alright?" I tried to establish comlink with the smitten girl. When I received no answer, I turned to Evee, "Stay with her. The Word of Blake squadron is falling down. It'll be over soon."

"Copy that," Evee's voice was mixed with fear and disquiet. "Thanks for saving her life. You know what she means to me."

"I know," I walked away from the scene. "I hope we were not too late for her."

The rest of the aerotech fighters regrouped and attacked tanks and light mechs, but Kyle led the defenders to intensify the battery. Soon there were not a lot of fighters left, and the remaining fighters chose to limp away from Lomme, conceding their mission failed.

But when they thought they would go home and fight another day, they were mistaken. Winsome Rose squadron came up and met them, blazing with vengeance. The Blakist fighters were so worn out that they could not fight off the Winsome Rose. It took them only one pass to bring the remaining Blakists down the sky in flames.

"_Matigas kita!_ I told you to stay away from them!" Rica blurted, annoyed.

"_Itaga mo sa batto, kabayan,_ you won't rid of me that easy," Jill Manuel replied in sheer cockiness. "That's for Katrina and comrades that died today. _Sumalangit nawa ang kanyang kaluluwa. _Returning to base, Commander. Guardian Two out."

The comlink exploded with cheers and pumped-up battlecries, releasing pent-up adrenaline that had been boiling inside the veins for the last 30 minutes. Surviving infantries shot rounds to the air, and children poured into the scorching streets. Some mechs raised their hands in the air, a couple of them even shot lasers to the sky. Fighting morale soared through the roof over the fact that they had just beaten Manei Domini and Wolverine Clan. I doubted that these aerotech fighters were Manei Domini. But Manei Domini or not, it didn't matter. We beat Word of Blake here at Lomme, and we would beat them again should they come back.

I went back to Alison's fall site and exited my mech. Evee and some civilians extracted Alison from her mangled _Assassin_. She was in bad condition, covered in bruises and blisters, but nonetheless alive. Her lips shook hard as if she was praying, and she clenched Evee's hand like a vise.

"I will not leave you," Evee whispered. "Hang in there, soldier. I will not leave you."

Paramedics came and give her morphine. Alison's eyes rolled up, then her body relaxed. As the paramedics hauled her in a stretcher, Evee looked at me with relieve and gratitude. I did not need her to say it, so I put my hand in her shoulder and said, "You did it, not me. You saved her life."

A small sigh escaped her lips as she smiled.

* * *


	22. Chapter 21

**TWENTY ONE**

**Note:** I have never played the celestial mechs, so I don't know their performance accurately. Here I described them as slightly better than regular mechs (Clan / IS). If I don't do them justice, let me know.

And for you Filipinos, congratulations on Manny Pacquiao. You should be proud of him!

* * *

_**City of Lomme,  
**__**Victoria, New Avalon Combat Region,  
**__**Crucis March, Federated Suns,  
**__**March 14, 3078**_

The emergency infirmary reeked blood and sweat, and moans of agony floated in the atmosphere. Doctors and paramedics shifted from patient to patient, making sure that they received sufficient treatments. Some of the soldiers were beyond treatment, most of them were infantries and aerospace pilots. Sometimes the paramedics just gave them morphine and nothing else. Others looked well-honed and ready to go, and I wondered what kept them on their cots.

Alison was one that looked pristine, but was constraint to the bed. Her damage was internal, and the doctor said she would lose some control over her muscles. She could regain control after physiotherapy, but it would take time. For Evee and me, it meant only one thing: Alison was out of action.

"I am sorry for being such a burden to you," Alison whined. "I should've been out there, monitoring Word of Blake movement."

"Zoe and the Winsome Rose 3rd Armor Company are doing scouts," Evee replied. "We've got plenty of eyes out there. Don't worry about duty. Just concentrate on getting better."

Alison threw a glance at me, then at Evee, then at me again. If I looked at her life, I didn't know if 'getting better' was the best fate for her. She had lost Shinoyama, now she lost her piloting capability. From a warrior's standpoint, perhaps she was better off dead, and I started to feel that I had cheated her. But on the other side, she was a human. Every human deserved a life, whatever it might be.

"I don't know if I should thank you or kick your ass," she murmured. Her voice was dull and flat, but her eyes gave way to her true feeling. "Either you're the strangest or stupidest Clanner I've ever met. But either way," she forced herself to smile, "Thank you for saving my life."

I nodded, but before I could say anything, Evee's comset buzzed. A garbled transmission slipped through the minute receiver, saying that Word of Blake ground units were advancing toward Lomme. The paramedics quickly ushered the injureds to bunkers and fortified buildings. I didn't have a proper goodbye with Alison. As the paramedics pushed her, Evee dragged me toward the exit and we bolted toward the front line.

The Word of Blake knew they couldn't invade Lomme without heavy casualties, so they still had to soften the defenders. Loosing their aerotech supports, the Blakes were constricted to one choice only: artillery. And it showed. When I got to my mech, Long Tom shells started whistling down the sky and blasting the ground. The entire city shook and burnt under artillery downpour.

"There must be 20 to 30 units of them," Kyle pointed out. "Is there any aerotech units left out there?"

"This is Jill Manuel, I have visual contact with two lances of Long Tom bearing oh-oh-seven. Engaging targets!"

"Third Armor, sweep the Long Toms!" Rica gave her order. "Ben, give them space and time!"

"Aye Commander!" the big _Highlander_ left its position, followed by two lances of long-ranged mechs.

As I regrouped with Evee and the remaining Ridinghood Cavaliers, I had a glance of what would come next. The entire division of Word of Blake had come to Lomme, bringing with them not only their fearsome celestial mechs, but also clan technologies with Wolverine insignia. Clanfolks naturally dissented with the use of artillery, but I would not expect anything less from the Wolverines.

Winsome Rose aerotech squadron – or what was left of it – quickly took the sky and assumed attack formation. The helicopters regrouped in a wedge formation before splitting into lances, each lance went to hit an artillery emplacement. Ben Donelly's demi lance shadowed the helicopter to back them up.

Long Tom cannons were not armored, so as soon as the aerotech fighters came into range, missiles raced toward the ground targets and singed the artillery emplacements. They used incendiary warheads to maximize damages to operators and ammunition storages. As a results, fireballs rose on every impact, and soon enough half of the cannons stopped firing. Incinerated ammunition bins went up to the sky in glorious blazes, spreading fire to their nearby units. The explosions looked like fiery blisters on the Word of Blake ranks.

But like any other support unit, the squadron was vulnerable to mech's counter attack. The Word of Blake returned fire with a vengeance, using the ultra-long PPCs that were legacy to Wolverine technology, and extremely accurate missile firepower. Jill's squadron did not have a chance against the Word of Blake ground units. Her lance mates turned into fireballs amidst the sky, before sprialling down in furious flames. The scene was the complete opposite to what we did to their squadron several days ago.

"This is it, Commander," Jill's voice slipped through explosions. "Five Long Toms had been neutralized. I wished we could take more. Fight on _kabayan_!"

"Jill, get out of there," Victor ordered. "Jill! Return to base!"

But Victor's order proved to be vain words. The last member of Jill's squadron, a _Rapier_, was caught in a three-way crossfire. Two PPC bolts eviscerated its fuselage, and a wave of missiles tore a stretch of cracks on the hull. The 85-ton flying fortress was set ablaze and exploded in mid air.

The 3rd Armor Company sustained similar resistance, but since they flied at much lower altitude than the aerotech squadron, the Word of Blake's accuracy was greatly reduced. The helicopters could slip through PPC and missile walls, and sank good salvos at a Long Tom emplacement. Three Long Tom cannons quickly engulfed in fire, with their crews running around with burning clothes. Some helicopters ganged up on a Long Tom, and the results were no less spectacular than the first three. Tongues of fire licked the sky, and burning debris painted nearby units as the long cannon crumbled.

However, the Word of Blake units were just too many. Laser bolts and autocannon rounds swept the 3rd Armor Company with dense flaks, taking down the helicopters one by one. The helicopters managed to bring down four more Long Toms before breaking apart. They plunged to the ground, ending in yellow bonfire with thick, oily pillars of smoke.

The rest of the Long Toms continued firing, but the intensity was reduced to 40-percent its original state. I felt like standing up and giving salute to Jill's squadron and 3rd Armor Company. They did their job so selflessly well that life was much easier for us, the ground troops. They knew their mission was suicide, yet they did it without hesitation, knowing that their sacrifice would give us advantage. I thought fanatics were poisonous, but now I wouldn't mind fighting along fanatics.

The Word of Blake knew that their reduced artillery fire would not harm us the way they expected, so they changed their strategy. They started marching toward Lomme, covered by relentless Long Tom fires. Contrary to what I expected, they pushed their heavy mechs as their front liners. Their light and medium mechs formed the center of their columns, and their assaults anchored their formations.

"Testing our defense, huh, you fanatics?" Rica blurted. "Brace yourselves, Winsome Rose! They're coming! Get ready to fire on my mark!"

The Winsome Rose had their own artillery, but nothing compared to that of the Word of Blake's. However, it was better than none, and they used it to inflict maximum damages to the incoming troops. The Long Tom rounds strafed the center of the Word of Blake formations, hitting the light and medium mechs. _Malak_ and _Preta_ battlemechs staggered and swayed every time a Long Tom shell burst among their ranks. One shell landed so close to a _Malak Invictus_ that the explosion almost seared its arm off. But being fast and agile, the _Malak_ took evasive maneuver, saving its arm from total destruction.

Getting into 1.5 kilometers from the city wall, Winsome Rose's _Padillas_ started to bark. Arrow missiles raced toward the Word of Blake, still targetting light and medium mechs. With better locking mechanism, the Arrow batteries drew more blood from _Malaks_ and _Pretas_. Limbs and weapons were tossed to every direction, and once in a while a mech stumbled on its path, creating a bottleneck in several areas and, in the end, separating the assaults from the heavies even more.

Despite Arrow and Long Tom batteries, the Manei Domini showed their quality by maintaining formation. Their formation was unconventional to begin with. Putting the agile mechs between two groups of crawlers practically killed off the only advantage these little mechs had. But I knew the Word of Blake had a purpose. I just couldn't see it yet, and it started making me nervous.

"They're getting into 900-meter markers," Zoe Catherine stated. "If you're gonna do something about it, it'd better be now."

"Do not engage them yet!" Rica snapped back. "Let them come closer!"

I could see what Rica was planning. The Manei Domini outnumbered us almost 2-to-1, but they were marching on open field, while we had Lomme as our cover. Waiting to get them into a comfortable range increased the chances of critical hits. The problem was that the Word of Blake should know this fact too. They were Manei Domini, the Blakist's elite warriors. They would not come to Lomme without preparation. Perhaps their bizzare formation was part of their plan to conquer Lomme? If only I could know the answer.

As they got into range, their Light PPCs lit up the void between us and peppered the structures of Lomme. And with faster recycling time, the Light PPCs devoured everything in their path. Buildings, debris, city wall, all fell into the firepower of the Manei Domini. Few structures remained standing, but the rest crumbled and turned into clouds of dust.

"Now!" Rica screamed over the comlink. "Give'em hell, people!"

Half of Winsome Rose mechwarriors were excellent snipers. With sufficient covers and gauss rifles in their hands, they turned into a force of nature that not even Manei Domini could walk away easily. Nickel-ferrous orbs zoomed at supersonic speed and exploded on the Blake's midsts. Manei Domini's front lines quickly staggered hard, and although the first wave failed to do critical damage, it was enough to stop the Word of Blake's advance.

The Davions joined the fray, but rather than sniping like the Winsome Rose, they focused on one mech at a time and flooded it with firepower. Kyle's twin Clan-made gauss slugs blasted a _Grigori Invictus_ right on the shoulder, twisting it sideways. Before it could regain balance, David's missiles hammered it, and Jayne's laser melted the remaining tons of its shoulder armor. The _Grigori_ took several steps behind, hoping to get away from the Davions when Kyle's missiles swept it completely off its feet. The 60-ton mech crashed on its back.

The Word of Blake answered with denser Light PPC blizzard. Not an inch of space was not covered by particle bolts. Buildings went down, and even the city wall started to crumble. Some Winsome Rose mechs and tanks were forced to shift position. The torrential bolts lasted several minutes, while the _Malaks_ and _Pretas_ started to take over the heavy mechs. They were, too, equipped with Light PPC, but their size and speed made their Light PPCs even deadlier.

So that was how they handled Winsome Rose sniping expertise. They locked the Winsome Rose with their heavy mechs, then slipped their lights and mediums to hit the snipers from behind. But they clearly underestimated the other half of Winsome Rose under the command of Victor Canonizado. Victor was a natural-born brawler, and I knew he had been sweating in his seat watching his sister working hard.

"Don't let them pass the city gate!" Victor yelled. "All hands! Charge and wipe them out!"

I believed that I belonged to this group. My mech was designed to take on enemies at close range, and my twin LBX20 would be lethal to mechs particularly under 60 tons. I slammed my throttle forward, pushing my mech into a semi sprint while shifting from one _Preta_ to another. I finally settled with a _Preta_ and put my crosshair directly on its center mass, directly under the head.

But I looked down on their Light PPCs too much. As soon as I came into the open, the _Preta_ on my crosshair slipped through the defense, and suddenly I was head-to-head with a _Deva Invictus_. Two bolts blasted my left shoulder, one ripped my center torso, and a Gauss slug slashed the armor on my right hip. My mech teetered backward, coping with the massive impact. My electronics went crazy with overloading charges, and heat spiked up to one-third shut down, even before I fired my weapons. Armor level dropped down to yellow, and I could smell the bitter scent of evaporating ferro-fibrous.

Pressing its advantage, the 70-ton celestial mech deployed its blade and made a thrust at my cockpit, looking at a quick victory. I sidestepped and blew my cannons, hitting the elbow. Sparks burst from the impact, and the forelimb breached, dangling at the stump with only a few strands of myomer and power cables.

The Manei Domini swerved to the left to maintain balance, then fired its gauss gun. I had never seen a mechwarrior having superb control of his mech like the Blakist, not since Arc Royal. My reflex couldn't save me from the gauss slug. I felt a sharp twist when the nickel-ferrous ball raked my left torso. The twisted echo almost made me deaf. For a second I saw only the sky, before my neurohelmet overloaded my head with calibration signals.

I put my mech in full reverse. I could not afford to go down. The _Deva_ fired its Light PPCs, but I used the momentum to cringe left. Only one bolt connected to my left arm. I halted my reverse, connected my left laser and left cannon to the trigger, and let them rip. The submunitions flew harmlessly a meter off the _Deva_'s right, but the laser burnt a slab of armor on the gauss gun. The _Deva_ took evasive maneuver, but I cut it off and fired my remaining guns. This time, all shots connected. A large chunk of the Deva's right arm sailed away, ripped by the fragmented shells.

But that did not stop the _Deva_. Twisting right to protect its right arm, the Manei Domini sprayed its Light PPCs, all of which bit my left torso. My armor surrendered, and my left engine suffered the consequences. Alarm blared into my ears, and my left engine was fried. Power dropped to 65-percent, and waste heat surged into my cockpit. My eyelids burnt, and my vision turned into large blob of greyness.

My hands found the flush button and I dumped half of my coolant, taking away the heat. As the _Deva_ turned to get its gauss rifle into play, I fired everything I had. I knew I'd risk total shutdown, but I couldn't afford its gauss slug hammering my left torso. The boom almost threw me off my seat, and unbearable heat almost grilled me alive. But some shells flogged the _Deva's_ gauss rifle. The gun exploded in a massive burst, and for the first time the _Deva_ lost its footing and sank to the ground on one knee.

I dumped some more coolant, then swiveled toward the _Deva's_ right, waiting for my guns to recycle. I expected longer reload since my power had been reduced. The 70-ton mech shook hard, straining to get up, and when it did it quickly sprayed its Light PPCs. But I was part way into its blind spot. The triple azure bolts whizzed harmlessly on my right.

I noticed that the gauss explosion – while failed to induce critical damage due to CASE – tore a large crack on the _Deva's_ right torso. The mechwarrior knew it too, so he exposed its good left side at me. I fired my right weapons to its left torso, forcing it to twist left, and exposing the crack at me. One flick on the trigger and my left laser sneaked past the crack, burning the engine. My left LBX20 roared, and the engine expanded into a fireball, throwing the mech back to the ground.

Normally I would wait for my guns to reload, then pound the _Deva_ to pieces. But this time I could not wait. I had to kill it as quickly as possible. I _needed_ a quick kill, whatever the means was. So I throttled up toward the struggling _Deva_ and crashed my right shin into its cockpit. The Manei Domini jerked behind, then slumped headless. Lifeless.

I did not expect to kill the mechwarrior, but I was still shocked to see half of the pilot – waist up – crawled out of the mangled cockpit. His legs have been crushed in the cockpit. The memory of how resilient these _creatures_ were came back to me, and I hoisted my feet, then squashed the pilot. I did it several time, until I could not see the pilot among bits of titanium and ferro-fibrous splinters.

Taking a break from the duel gave me time to assess the battlefield. The Light PPC rain took down some Winsome Rose's mechs, particularly Victor's men. But Rica's troops balanced the casualties by bringing down the majority of Blakist's heavy mechs. Both sides sustained about 30-percent casualties, and the resolution was nowhere in sight.

The first _Preta_ I had been meaning to smoke now managed to get around the brawlers and started targetting the bunkers. Somehow it knew what to hit. Its Light PPC worked fast, stabbing the bunker where most of the mechwarriors were held. The bunker managed to hold the treacherous attack, but sooner or later it would give in.

"All hands, we have one runner at the bunker!" I turned to ward off the _Preta_. "I need assistance!"

Loosing 35-percent power, my mech was too slow to get the _Preta_, but most of the defenders had been engaging the incoming Blakists. I had no choice but to limp, firing my laser in a vain attempt to stop the _Preta_. But the 45-tonner was fast and knew what it was doing. It circled the bunker and kept firing its Light PPC. Fire raged out of control, and people scrambled out of the bunker, only to be trampled by the _Preta_.

"Parker!" I heard Evee screamed in horror. "Alison is in the bunker! Stop that thing!"

"My mech is too shot up!" I rebuked. "Kyle! Malthus! Victor! We have a dire situation here!"

"I'm on it!" Rica replied, and quickly left her post. The _Preta_ burried a critical hit at the bunker when Rica's Light Gauss stabbed it from behind. The _Preta_ jerked forward, swaying left and right to cope with the loss of mass. It turned around, but Jayne Dixon came and showered the medium mech with MRMs. Sparks burst from its torso, and the little _Preta_ engulfed in flames. It took its last stand by firing its Light PPC at Jayne, but Rica sank her missiles on its right leg, then took it all away with a direct hit to the cockpit. Shuddering, the _Preta_ tumbled.

"Alison!" Evee squeeled through her external speaker. "Alison! Are you alright?"

"I'm fine!" Alison's voice sorted through explosions and orders. "Eev, something big is breaching the northern defense! The Winsome Rose is not going to hold! Send reinforcement, quick!"

I shifted my crosshair and I saw it: an _Archangel Dominus_, the biggest and nastiest among the celestial mech, the "zombie" as Comstar and Davion liked to call it due to its raw power. Its twin Heavy PPCs had devoured three Winsome Rose mech with relative ease. The only defense between the monster and civilian bunkers was Rica Canonizado.

"_Archangel_'s at large! I need assistance... now!" Rica roared and fired everything she had. Her Light Gauss slug sped toward the cockpit, but the _Archangel_ flinched, absorbing the impact with its left torso. Rica's lasers and missiles bounced at its right torso, but the hundred-ton mech shrugged the onslaught as if it did not feel a thing.

The _Archangel_ turned all its attention to Rica and fired an alpha strike with murderous accuracy. Two massive bolts cored the _Thunderbolt_ right at the center, pumping out armor platings and titanium bits. Its snub-nose PPC came in late, but with a devastating effect. Three mini explosions ripped the _Thunderbolt_ apart, turning it into a staggering bonfire.

Rica was not supposed to be there. She left her post to smoke the _Preta_ that was shamelessly hammering civilian bunkers. She saved hundreds of lives by exposing herself to enemy fire, and now she paid the price. With a loud groan the _Thunderbolt_ shook and crumbled, lying flat on its back in flame.

"Rica is down! Rica is down!" Jayne groaned as he plunged into the battlefield. "I'll kill this scumbag!" His laser and MRMs chastised the _Archangel_'s midst. It was a direct hit. Burning splinters geysered from the impact, and the onslaught stunned the big mech. Its center torso turned bright red.

But the _Archangel_ showed its quality as an elite soldier of Word of Blake. Its snub-nose PPC sucker-punched Jayne's _Thanatos_ on the shoulder. Jayne wobbled on his heels. The _Archangel_ fired its right Heavy PPC, flush at Jayne's right torso. A massive fireball sheared Jayne's MRM launcher off. The _Thanatos_ reeled backward, fighting hard to keep standing, but the sudden loss of mass was too much for Jayne to handle. It fell down to one knee.

Smelling blood, the _Archangel_ deployed its blade but a missile rain stopped it on its track. Almost a hundred warheads from Kyle, Dave, Zoe and Evee swarmed the big mech. The front armor caved in, and smoke billowed from several cracks. The _Archangel_ backed up staggering, but would not give up. Its Heavy PPCs were ready to take another victim when Kyle's Clan-made gauss slugs blasted its center mass. The 100-ton zombie keeled over, and sparks showered like blood.

"Keep the pressure up!" Kyle orchestrated the attack. "I want more firepower, people!"

I was too far away to use my LBX cannons, so I triggered my lasers. They did not seem to affect the _Archangel_ as it stood back up, smoking, bleeding fire, but nonetheless battle ready. Its Heavy PPCs whipped azzure bolts with deadly accuracy. Kyle staggered hard when one bolt slammed into his right torso. David's laser flew a dozen meters when the Heavy PPC slammed home on the left arm, and Evee swayed back and forth as the snub-nose PPC bolt dangerously hammered her on the chest, dangerously close to the cockpit.

Fortunately, Jayne Dixon found his composure and triggered his jets, bringing his crippled mech flying. He fired his remaining lasers at once, all but one connected to the mangled torso of the _Archangel_. The reactor casing breached, and white-hot plasma spewed out of the torso. It was the death sentence for the Blakist as all power went away, leaving it virtually dead.

"Good job Jayne!" Kyle rumbled in the speaker. "Dave, Parker, Evee, Zoe, fire on my mark! Send it to where it belongs! Now!"

Waves of missiles, lasers, and Gauss slugs overwhelmed the Archangel from every direction possible, turning it into a worthless heap of metal. A second later it roared in a fireball, spreading scorching splinters everywhere. Its death epitomized the end of Word of Blake onslaught for the day. Realizing they could not take Lomme, they retreated methodically, leaving their deads behind.

As the Word of Blake retreated, Victor came in his battered _Night Gyr_. A long, rasping howl barreled out from his lung, and he punched out of his mech, running toward the fiery tomb of his sister. Alison and some paramedics grabbed hold of him, but Victor seemed to outpower them all.

I rushed to aid Alison and, together with Jayne and Kyle, grabbed Victor and pinned him to the ground. Victor was still kicking and screaming, refusing to accept the loss, until Zoe came with morphine and slipped it under his skin. Victor's movement became sluggish, and soon enough his eyes fluttered, his breathing regulated at normal rate, and his muscles relaxed.

"I am sorry," Kyle whispered.

"No, no," Victor whimpered. "She can't be. She can't be dead."

But she was gone, and I did not dare to imagine what it meant for the Winsome Rose. With one commander dead and the other mentally catatonic, the Winsome Rose's fighting morale was trashed. It was up to Victor how long he could get back to his feet and bring his troops to fighting condition again.

* * *


	23. Chapter 22

**TWENTY TWO**

_**City of Lomme,  
**__**Victoria, New Avalon Combat Region,  
**__**Crucis March, Federated Suns,  
**__**May 14, 3078**_

I had seen many deaths, ranging from petty deaths that no one cared, to ultimate death that changed the course of history. I had seen death that went by like wind, and I had seen death that made its presence like an earthquake, shaking everything and leaving a deep scar afterwards. But never had I seen a death as grievous and as critical as Rica Canonizado's.

The Winsome Rose prided itself in sniper-brawler harmony. The strong bond between the twin leaders led them to places few could go. They knew their counterpart like they knew their own body. Now one was gone, and the bond was broken. Without Rica, the Winsome Rose was just another mercenary unit. And without Winsome Rose, Victoria's fate was pretty much sealed.

Unfortunately, the Word of Blake knew this fact.

"There is no need to continue fighting without your commander," the face on the communication screen thundered. It was a familiar face, then again, I had never seen it before. It was familiar in terms of metallic scalp, green-blinking eye, and semi-digitized voice that slipped between its cold lips. I had seen its kind before. This one was less vile than the other one, but more calculated. "You have been beaten. Surrender and accept Jerome Blake's words, and I will grant you repentance. I will grant you your life."

"Who are you, boy?" Kyle answered the cyborg casually.

"If my name is of importance to you," the cyborg replied without showing signs of emotion, "I am Spector Precentor Sigma Azrael, commander of Word of Blake Zeta Zombie Legion. I am offering you..."

"I don't give a damn what your name is," Kyle interjected. "Who do you think you are giving us repentance? You are no God! You are no angel! And you have no damn control of Victoria!"

"We both know that you are telling a lie, Commander," Azrael growled. "Every corner of Victoria had been marked by the hands of The Master. You have nowhere to go."

"Every corner," Kyle grinned, "except Lomme. And you have no control of Lomme, because if you do, you won't be talking to me and offering repentance. Am I right, _Bee-yel-zebub_?"

"My name is Spector Precentor Sigma Azrael," the cyborg snarled, showing a glint of rage. "I am the bringer of death, and I will bring death unto you, you puny little _frails_! So you have made your choice, then!"

"We chose to ignore you, Molokh," Kyle sneered. "You want Lomme? Come and get it!"

For one second, I saw fire in Azrael's human eye. It was the same fire I saw in Evee's eyes when we lost Kangpae. Emotion was what separated human from machine. If Azrael still had emotion, he was still human. And human had weaknesses. It was comforting to know that we still had a chance against these cyborgs, and to be honest, it was fun watching Azrael lost control. If he could jump out of the screen and rip Kyle's throat, Azrael probably would.

But as human as he was, he was also a machine. Machine did not feel a thing. That was what happened the second afterward. He gained composure, gave Kyle a sharp glare and a courtesy look, then cut off the connection. Then it was silence. Everybody sunk into his/her own reckoning.

"Considering our situation, it may not be wise to piss off our enemy," Evee gently said. "You know, it may make things worse."

"It can't get any worse than this," Kyle sighed. "Azrael is right. The Word of Blake had virtually conquered Victoria barring Lomme. This might be it, Eev." He leaned on the comm console for a while, looking back and forth between Evee and me. "This could be our last dance together. And if this is your last dance, don't you wanna dance with your head up high?"

"It struck me as odd that they are negotiating terms with us," I said what I thought. "Word of Blake has never been famous for negotiation. Too bad that we don't have communication off world. We don't know what is happening in other part of the Inner Sphere. Victor Davion could be gaining ground, so the Blakes were saving their strength, lest Victor sent in reinforcement." I paused a moment, gauging Kyle's reacion. "Besides, I sent a message to 13th Wolf Guards. They might have been fighting the Blakes already."

"But we don't know that as a fact," Kyle replied. "However, I see your point. First, they could've nuked Victoria. They didn't. Then they know they killed Rica, and they could've pressed their advantage. They didn't. Instead, they're talking trash with us. This is unusual for Manei Domini."

"The cache?" Natalie suggested. "There's a hidden lost cache under Lomme, you know."

"Possibly," Kyle nodded. "Or, we hurt them more than we thought. I'd like to think it that way."

"I do not think they are afraid of us," I said. "I am confident that they are trying to get to the cache. That's why they put the Winsome Rose to occupy Lomme. They just didn't expect the Winsome Rose to switch allegiance."

"Alright, then," Kyle flicked his comset. "Dixon, come here."

Jayne Dixon came into the tactical room, bringing his enthusiastic self. "Sir?"

"Get Victor Canonizado to show you the lost cache," Kyle ordered. "Get everything that we can use out of the cache. Then rig it."

"Rig it?" Jayne squinted. "Sir, the cache is beneath Lomme. If you blast the cache, Lomme falls."

"Lomme falls no matter what, Jayne," Kyle let out a long breath, and I saw a sign of desperation in his face. "The Winsome Rose is falling apart, and we don't have enough strength to fight anymore. But if we can't have the cache, neither can the Blakists. And hopefully we can take some of them with it."

* * *

_**City of Lomme,  
**__**Victoria, New Avalon Combat Region,  
**__**Crucis March, Federated Suns,  
**__**July 31, 3078**_

The Word of Blake didn't waste much time regrouping. They came again, hot and hard, pounding everything in sight with their Light PPCs. Each celestial mechs were equipped with enough double heat sinks to deal with the waste heat, and C3i computers to form a sort of collective minds. And the pilot had VDI implant that allowed them to hit a target with razor-sharp accuracy. The city wall was almost non-existent, and the Manei Domini came like a tidal wave, swarming the city from all directions.

Losing Rica Canonizado made the Winsome Rose loose its long-range power. Half of the mechwarriors were trained snipers, and although Victor did a bold task to command the snipers, he was not a sniper himself. The sniper mechs were not as effective as when Rica took command. We always knew that this would happen. So we evacuated women and children, along with sick and injured soldiers. The city was virtually a ghost town with nothing but history and debris. Then we let the Manei Domini come to the city, and take them in a close-quarter combat. At least the Winsome Rose brawlers still had teeth to mince the Blakists.

At first, this strategy shook the Manei Domini's advance. Their Light PPC was almost ineffective in city fighting, and they were not as familiar with Lomme as Winsome Rose brawlers. Victor's men used _peek-a-boo_ tactics that used buildings as cover, then jumped out and fired before slipping behind another building. Some medium and heavy Manei Dominis were taken down.

That changed when _Seraph_ mechs started taking the lead. Their LBX's and UAC's blasted Victor's men one by one, and those unlucky enough to survive the ballistic onslaught were chopped down by _Seraph's_ retractrable blades. The Manei Domini gained confidence and pushed forward with _Seraphs_ as their spear tip, while the Winsome Rose was forced to retreat, losing ground inch by inch.

"The back door almost crumbles," Kyle stated; his voice was buried under explosions and lance commanders yelling orders. "They're coming hard and fast."

"I'm going in," I responded, kicking my mech to full sprint. Two _Pretas_ and one _Seraph_ _Infernus_ had broken through Winsome Rose's rank, dissing a _Guillotine_ in the process. A Winsome Rose's _Stalker_ and an _Orion_ were left in shards, a testament of how effective the Manei Domini fought. And now the Guillotine witnessed it first hand, kneeling with one leg and one arm missing, waiting for its fate.

I put my crosshair right under the chin of the _Seraph_ and fired my lasers. The emerald strands bored the monster's torso, turning the armor into scorching blob. But the 85-ton Manei Domini ignored my shot. It cocked its left arm, then thrust its blade into the _Guillotine's_ cockpit. The sickening crunch reverberated, and splotches of blood were visible on the blade, glimmering under the sun.

The two _Pretas_ turned their attention to me and fired their PPCs. I tried sidestepping the attack but it came faster than I could anticipate. I felt a huge jerk as the bolts slammed into my torso. My HUD went haywire with statics, and sparks burst from short circuitry. I heard my ears ringing due to recalibration signal from my neurohelmet. I could've lost a ton of armor, maybe more. My mech was top-of-the-line war machine during Clan invasion, but now it showed its age against these newer menaces.

But I would not go down without a fight. I kept the throttle maximum while raising both arms and aimed it at the orange blotch on the _Seraph's_ torso. The _Seraph_ twisted quickly, covering its center torso while aiming its LBX20 at me. I ducked and hammer its waist. Two LBX shells at 50 meters were strong enough to stagger the 85-tonner. It blasted its cannon, but my shots threw off its aim. The submunitions flew harmlessly over my head and ripped a building behind. Before it could find me, I slipped behind another building.

I was not nervous about fighting the _Seraph_. I knew how much my mech could handle punishment, and I knew how much punishment my mech could deliver. It was the _Pretas_ that I was worried about. The medium mechs swung around and found me reloading behind the building. Three PPC bolts cored my center torso, and my mech stumbled backward into the building. The armor quickly faded, and I knew I could only sustain one more shot in the chest before explosion. The _Seraph_ hadn't even score a hit on me and I was already in a bad shape.

But before it happened, the _Preta_ in front of me squirmed. Two Gauss slugs blasted its left torso, pulling off a bad gash near the arm joint. The _Preta_ staggered to get up but another slug decked it, shearing its left arm right off. Seconds later a wave of missiles swept it off its feet, and the _Preta_ lurched and fell to the ground.

The other _Preta_ turned to see the new menace, only to see a lumbering _Thunder Hawk_ and a nimble _Highlander_ coming to my aid. Two Gauss slugs came screaming down its way, and the 45-ton mech flinched at the right time to miss one. The other one, however, snagged its right torso, pushing the _Preta_ tottering behind. It took several steps behind, gaining balance while exposing its back to me. I trained all my weapons and let them loose. The _Preta's_ body bowed forward, swept by the punching power of my LBX cannons.

The change in battle didn't last long. The _Seraph_ fired its Heavy PPC, and the azure bolt whipped through the air and raked the _Thunder Hawk's_ head. The ferocity of the weapon mangled the cockpit in one stoke. Chunks of titanium geysered, and the headless _Thunder Hawk_ swayed left and right before ramming itself into a skyscrapper. The 100-tonner slouched, creating a long mark on the front side of the building.

The _Seraph_ tried to repeat the action with its Snub-nose PPC, but the _Highlander_ blasted its jets, bringing its 90-ton frame flying over some squattish building. The _Seraph_ trained its LBX cannon at the _Highlander_, but the _Highlander_ outshot the Blakist. The slug chastised the _Seraph's_ left shoulder, digging deep into the structure. The _Seraph_ staggered and tried to catch the _Highlander_ with its Heavy PPC, but missiles slammed into its torso, right where my lasers hit. Splinters of ferro-fibrous were tossed to every direction.

Meanwhile the one-armed _Preta_ had taken a fighting stance and hurled its PPCs at the _Highlander_. Sparks and smoke gushed from the _Highlander's_ left torso. The big mech wobbled, and it would've stumbled down if a building were not in its way. It trembled and buckled, but was still on its feet. The _Seraph_ locked its LBX in place and smothered the _Highlander_ with fragmented shells. The gauss rifle received critical hit, and it exploded, turning the entire right arm of the _Highlander_ into a massive fireball.

As the _Highlander_ lurched, the _Seraph_ deployed its blade. I had never understood Spheroid's need for a blade / axe / sword / cudgel / other means of physical weapon in a battlemech. Physical weapons were primitive and dangerous to apply. I quickly aimed for the blade and fired another alpha strike. My laser wiped out the armor, and my submunitions tore everything apart. The _Seraph's_ left arm went flying away, and the 85-ton Blakist leaned to the right.

The _Preta_ turned its guns at me and unleashed a double PPC attack. I had no choice but to twist left, and my right arm suffered the consequences. The Light PPC carved a hole in my arm, and the Snub-nose PPC cut the power cord to my cannon. Warning sign blared into my ears as the indicator went dark. The _Seraph_ turned around and fired its Heavy PPC. Again, I had no choice but to twist left, and my right cannon exploded, ripping the entire arm into 3 parts.

As I reeled, the _Highlander_ found its footing and leapt, shoving its foot forward. The _Seraph_ was training its LBX gun at me when the pillar-like leg of the _Highlander_ squashed the cockpit cleanly. The Blakist lost its balance and slumped to the ground, victimized by the most famous physical attack in battlemech history: the _Highlander Burial_.

But just as I thought, physical attack was dangerous to apply. Jumping above the ground made the _Highlander_ vulnerable. The _Preta_ sank two good salvos at its weakened torso. The PPC bolts breached the reactor casing, and the _Highlander_ exploded midair, raining down burning debris and titanium shards.

Lucky for me, a big chunk of the _Highlander_ came down hard on the _Preta_, forcing it to backpedal. I used the opportunity to steady myself, then blasted my remaining cannon. The _Preta's_ front armor, severely weakened by multiple Gauss shots, caved in and crushed the power generator. Tongues of fire engulfed the 45-ton mech, seconds before it went off in a towering blast.

Unfortunately, it did not matter much. Lomme was overwhelmed, and the destruction of the _Seraph_ and _Preta_ did not make a dent on Word of Blake's advance. Celestial mechs came from every direction, and the defenders did not stand a chance. They were swept by the Word of Blake firepower.

This was the end of it.

"Back door is secured," I said through the comlink. "Three Manei Dominis had been neutralized, but two Winsome Rose mechs had been lost."

"All hands, evacuate Lomme through Parker! Now!" Kyle yelled. "Disengage your enemies and let Lomme fall to the Blakist! We can't save it anymore!"

I remembered the cache and Kyle's plan to destroy it, so I rang my beacon, guiding the survivors to my position. Evee and Natalie were the first ones that slipped past me, followed closely by David Malthus and Zoe. Several Winsome Rose mechs sprinted by my side, anchored by Victor in his _Night Gyr_. Then a _Black Knight_ and a _Dervish, _but suddenly they burst into flames. The explosions took out the closest building, and through the cloud of debris an _Archangel_ appeared. Its guns were still smoking.

"Open fire at the _Archangel_! Now!" I commanded, just as I grazed my thumb over the laser trigger. My laser bolt struck the mammoth mech squarely on its midst, but the hundred-tonner walk past it. Hundreds of missiles from Evee, David, Zoe, and several other mechs rained down on the _Archangel_, momentarily halting its advance. "Kyle, Blakes start coming through the back door! Where are you?"

"There is no time, my friend," Kyle replied. "Take them to safety."

It took me a while to realize what Kyle was implying. "Kyle, you can't! I'm coming for you!"

"Goddammit Parker! Get your butt out of here!" Kyle barked. "Take care of Natalie for me!"

"There's still time!" Well, actually, Kyle was right. There was no time anymore. Manei Domini started to flood the back door, and soon enough they would come through. "Get out of there!"

"It's been a pleasure knowing you, Parker," Kyle replied, his voice was yielding. "Tell Evee I'm sorry that she comes this far for nothing. I will always protect you. Dixon! Ready?"

"It's been a privilege serving Federated Suns under your command, Major Garret," Jayne responded. "For Davion!"

"For Davion!"

"Kyle, no!" but it was vain. The earth shook, then a massive fireball ripped the center of the city. Buildings crumbled in a roar, burrying everything that was still lingering in the city. I turned around and sprinted out of the city, just before the buildings behind me collapsed, burying the _Archangel_ under hundreds of tons of concrete. I did not know if the _Archangel_ survived. I did not know how many Manei Domini survived, and how many of them were taken out. I hoped every single one of them died, or buried alive.

I could not move for some time. I felt Kyle had cheated me. He knew we came this far to get him out. He knew we were trying to rescue him. Why did he have to be a hero? I thought human lives were more valuable than victory. He was the one that said it to me. Why did he act like a Clanner and betrayed his own words? I did not understand any of this.

But perhaps he _was_ saving lives. If he didn't do it, we were all dead. He and Jayne Dixon died saving our lives, or at least buying us time. Kyle didn't betray his own words. He sacrificed himself upholding his words, and Jayne was right next to him. I had nothing more to say.

Just as the comlink turned into screaming and crying frenzy, I pulled the jack. I couldn't deal with lamentation right now. Kyle and Jayne died giving us hope, and from now on everything was on me. I did not believe that the Word of Blake had been finished. I had to make my move when they were licking their wound.

"Goodbye Kyle," I whispered before turning around. "And thanks for everything."

* * *


	24. Chapter 23

**TWENTY THREE**

**Note: **I have a surge of reviewers from _**Seeds of Chaos**_, so I'll try to address them here. Please bear with me.

For Rica and Bien: _Salamat po!_ Everything that happened in this story is everything you asked me. So you'll have an idea about Victor's fate.

For Ashley: I'm glad I can do something for Samantha. Thanks for sharing, too.

For Jason and Knight: Well, MW/BT section is still going without **The Nice Guy** (or **The Wobbly Guy**). It's just not the same without him. He is dearly missed.

For Knight: No, I will not kill Parker (akh, there goes one cliffhanger!).  
Cool stories? Well, there are many of them! My top big-5 authors would be **The Wobbly Guy**, **Maddog3060**, **Triptych**, **Kat Wylder**, and **Sentinel28**. The first three had retired, **Kat Wylder** and **Sentinel28** are still active. Go for their works first. You'll be blown away. Other good ones are **AidanPryde**, **Zmuh11**, **4477 Thire**, **Mutig, MosinM38**, **Tasmanian Tiger**, **Hoya Actual**, **Plague Angel**, but some of them hadn't updated for a long time. Also, find **JABaker** and **Sapphire200182** if you like a more humorous take on MW/BT.  
Hollywood stars: I'll post it at the end of the story. I'm working on it right now.

For Jill: Parker didn't go crazy but he became an alcoholic once (see IK2). I'm glad you like the drama. In fact, you're the first to comment on the emotional roller coaster of Parker, and I really appreciate it. Thanks!  
A glossary of BTech... well, even the glossary would be too long to put in this story. BTech is a very complex universe, and I could only recommend you some websites to read:  
classicbattletech(dot)com  
sarna(dot)net  
chaosmarch(dot)com  
I hope this helps

Lastly: Merry Christmas, Vrolijke Kerstmis, Joyeux Noel, Frohe Weihnachten, Kala Christouyenna, Buon Natale, Feliz Navidad, Selamat Hari Natal, Maligayang Pasko, or whatever you say it in your own language.

* * *

_**Victoria, New Avalon Combat Region,  
**__**Crucis March, Federated Suns,  
**__**August 14, 3078**_

The worst thing about losing somebody you love was you didn't have the chance to say goodbye. Alison had that moment. Victor Canonizado had that moment. And now Natalie Garret had that moment. Her loss was probably the hardest among the three because Kyle and Natalie had a son. I couldn't say much about parenting because I was never there, and I might never be. But I knew how it felt to lose somebody.

Alison and Zoe attended Natalie, trying to get her out of her shock. Surprisingly, I didn't see Evee. I knew Natalie and Evee were not close, but it was hard to imagine she was not on Natalie's side. Perhaps she was as hurt as Natalie. She met Kyle at Carver V, where they had to outwit a Liao double agent and Zhenzang deGuang terrorists. Carver V bonded them forever, and Kyle's death took a large piece of her that could never be replaced.

I made sure that Natalie got all the attention she needed, then went to find Evee. She alienated herself from the crowd and sat alone on a hill overlooking what was left of the coalition force. Jayne's Claymore Company existed no more as they followed Jayne to his grave. Evee, Alison, and I were the only surviving members of the Ridinghood Cavaliers. The Shooting Stars were reduced to two-lance strong. Half of the Winsome Rose was wiped out during the last Blakist onslaught. Those who survived were in very bad shape. Worse still, there was no chance to have a repair and reload. That was it. That was everything we got left.

I did not know what she was thinking right now: her Cavaliers or Kyle Garret. Or both, probably. The Ridinghood Cavaliers, the battalion that she built with her own hands, had been totally destroyed. But I reckoned Kyle's death hit her harder. Evee didn't have many friends she trusted, and Kyle was one of them.

"How's Natalie?" she whispered as I took the place next to her.

"Shaken, hurt, but alright," I replied. "How are you doing?"

"Do you feel like we're making a mistake?" she ignored my question. "I feel like this is all my fault. All we did for Kyle was for nothing. He's still dead, and I've sent my boys and girls to the grave with him." She paused, taking several labored breaths before continuing, "I feel we shouldn't have come here in the first place. This has never been our war, and the Cavaliers might've still been intact. I have failed my father."

"It is our war," I tried to console her. "Kyle and Natalie have always been a part of our lives. If it's not because of Kyle, I wouldn't have escaped Solaris. I wouldn't have come back to you. We owe him that much, Eev. Besides, what's important is we're here when he died. We're just not strong enough to bail him out of Victoria. He knew what we did for him, and he'd appreciate it."

Now her tears rolled on her cheeks. "Thanks for lying, honey."

"I am not lying," I rebuked. "Look, if we don't fight the Blakes here, we may fight them at home. You see how unstoppable the Manei Domini is. If we don't come here, Kyle and Natalie would've died much earlier, and the Manei Domini would reach New St. Andrews. The Cavaliers would've still been destroyed. But by our coming to Victoria, we've delayed them here. We bought Kyle four years of time. And we might've delayed their advance toward New St. Andrews, if not stop them at all."

I didn't know if it was supposed to make Evee feel better. Of course I was lying. Manei Domini wouldn't waste their time attacking New St. Andrews. It was in the middle of nowhere with little strategic importance. Well, Evee was smart, and I expect her to figure it out when she had come to her senses. But for now, I hoped she believed my lies to keep her fighting spirit up.

"We'll never get out of Victoria, will we?" she murmured.

"We'll figure it out," I replied. "Kyle's blast might have killed a lot of Blakists, but I don't think it stops them. We have to assume that the Blakes are still in control of Victoria, and to continue fighting is pointless. I'll see if we can contact our jumpship. We can expect that the Word of Blake had jammed all transmission in and out of Victoria. I have to find a higher ground to escape jamming frequency."

"I'm coming with you."

"Natalie needs you," I spurned her request. "Besides, the Winsome Rose may still have their dropships around. I think it'll be best if I go with Victor Canonizado. My mech is in no condition to fight, and having a _Night Gyr_ by my side would at least discourage the Blakists, if we were intercepted. Hopefully he can summon his dropships."

I didn't mean to imply that I didn't need her by my side. Going out to a place full of Manei Domini was never a good idea, and I wanted Evee to be safe. I reckoned she knew me that well. But I thought she was too beaten-up to think clearly, so she just swallowed everything I threw at her. She grabbed my jacket and forced me to look at her face. "Don't be a hero, Parker. I want to get out of this hellhole with you. Swear to me that you'll come back, with or without dropships."

"Alright," I gave her a green light. "I'll let David Malthus take command. I'll leave in fifteen minutes."

* * *

_**Victoria, New Avalon Combat Region,  
**__**Crucis March, Federated Suns,  
**__**September 7, 3078**_

The view from the top could have been breathtaking. I didn't mind spending hours just looking at the plain view. The weather was overcast but the landscape was unobstructed, giving us scenery of the horizon. It made us forget where we were and what we went through in the last 4 years. It was just us and Victoria.

Sadly, we were here not for enjoying the scenery. I was hoping that the altitude helped us escape the Word of Blake jamming frequency. I did not know how strong my signal was. After getting beaten up by the Blakists, I was lucky if my mech could transmit anything. Victor's mech was in a better condition than mine, so hopefully I had a backup in case mine wasn't working right.

"Jumpship _Paladin_, this is Parker from Ridinghood Cavaliers, do you copy?" I tried to call. "Captain Fraser? Can you hear me?"

My inquiry met only static transmission. Somehow I expected it. It had been a while since we had contact with _Paladin_. It might have been destroyed, or Captain Fraser might have left for more lucrative contract. Just when I was about to hand it to Victor, my speaker crackled to life, and the most unlikely voice sprung into the speaker, "I thought you're going to let me freeze up here. What's your situation?"

"Not good. We are roughly 20 mechs and a dozen tanks left, all in bad shape. We are low on ammunition. It's only me, Evee, and Alison, the rest are the survivors of Winsome Rose and 160th Davion Guards. What is your situation?"

"Bored," Captain Fraser replied matter-of-factly. "I managed to line up with Victoria's moon, so the Blakist never saw me. But man, they keep coming. Two days ago an armada of fresh jumpships dumped a shitload of dropships into Victoria. I hate to say this, but you're screwed. Just get out of there, man! I spotted a large dried lake just about 100 kilometers from the destroyed city. It's a perfect place for a liftoff."

"We're done fighting, Captain Fraser. Prepare immediate evacuation. We're going home."

"About time!" Captain Fraser's voice jumped in excitement. "Lift off is three days from now. Do not be late, Parker. I'm not sticking around for you exposing my ass to the Blakists."

"Understood, Captain. We'll be there." I sent the pick up location to Victor. "Can you get your dropships to pick you up?"

"Affirmative," Victor replied. "We still have four dropships for the survivors. They can take the brunt of Word of Blake's firepower while we get in, if worse comes to worst."

"Then let's do it," I concluded. "There's nothing left to be done in Victoria."

* * *

_**Victoria, New Avalon Combat Region,  
**__**Crucis March, Federated Suns,  
**__**September 10, 3078**_

Dragging a broken unit through an open field was not an easy task. Some of the mechs had crippled actuators; others just weren't faster than 50 kph. And the speed of the entire unit was as slow as the slowest mech. We still had enough time to reach the rendezvous point, but time was not my biggest concern.

Victor had taken control of the Winsome Rose while Ben Donelly became the second-in-command. David Malthus assumed command of the remaining Shooting Stars, with Zoe as his deputy. I anchored the convoy with Evee. Our armor was only paper-thin, so we didn't bother getting into defensive formation. Should we get intercepted, we would go down in quick succession. No, we didn't bother defending ourselves. All we could do was to run, as fast as we could.

But even a simple thing like running didn't work for us. The comlink started to jam, then heat signatures appeared on the radar. We were still 30 kilometers away from the pick up point, and _Preta_ and _Grigori_ were hot in our tail, 900 meters and closing. The _Preta_ had over 40-kph advantage over us, and the _Grigori_ only needed to get into 800 meters to start hitting us with their PPCs.

"Parker?" Victor called. "Parker, what do you want to do?"

"Captain Fraser, Word of Blake mechs are in hot pursuit!" I tried one last desperate approach. "We need hot pick up at my location! Victor, get your dropships to give us suppressing fire!"

But of course, the Word of Blake had jammed all transmisison. When Captain Fraser didn't answer right away, I knew that all effort would be worthless. There was no escaping the Word of Blake this time. This was it. This was our last stand.

"Just turn around, ladies and gents," I ordered. "It's been a privilege for me to fight with you. So just follow my order one last time. Hold fast your position. Concentrate fire on my target, and give it all you've got. If we're going down, we're taking as many of them with us."

"Good!" Natalie's voice thundered on the comlink. "Then I'll see Kyle very soon."

"And I'll see my sister," Victor added. "Fight to your last breath, Winsome Rose, and die with honor!"

"One last bang and it'll be over soon," David tuned in. "I have five more shots, then I'm ready to die."

"That's all we need," Zoe replied. "Make a statement, then die defending it. No more death is more honorable than that."

I steadied my mech beside Evee's _Longbow_ and opened a private channel. "I'm sorry, Eev. I have to break my vow. I can't take you home."

"That's alright," Evee replied in a firm but acquiescent tone. "You're only human. We're all humans, but we're proud mechwarriors. Some people said it's a mechwarrior's destiny to die in a mech. I don't care where I die. I'm just happy that I die with you."

The good thing was nobody hesitated. This was a battle we couldn't win, and not a single warrior backed out. I never thought I had been this close to death since Solaris, but the situation was much different. Back then, I was afraid to die because I still left an unfinished business. Now I didn't care. I had done everything I could. I had lived a life I couldn't possibly imagine, and I didn't regret anything.

I was free to die.

Three _Preta_ came in blazing speed and fired their Light PPCs in unison. The deadly bolts merged at an _Alacorn_ heavy tank. It went off in a fiery explosion, spitting armor shards and frames and bulkheads along with fire and smoke. The raining shards created fire on adjacent tanks and mechs.

"Open fire on the nearest _Preta_! Now!" I yelled and hit my trigger. My twin lasers flew over the_ Preta's_ head. Ten missiles from Evee halted it on its track, and another swarm from David and Zoe staggered the 45-ton mech. The Preta crisscrossed its path, but long tracers of autocannon shells from the Winsome Rose hammered its torso, shredding the armor. Then a straight Gauss shot from Ben carved a nasty gash on its chest. The _Preta_ lost balance and stumbled to the ground.

More _Preta_ and _Grigori_ reached firing distance and lit up their Light PPCs. Their C3i guided their shots in murderous accuracy. Zoe's _Hellspawn_ squirmed as five Light PPC bolts ravaged its left torso, incinerating the ammo bins that were being loaded into the launcher. A fireball split the mech into two, and the ejection mechanism spat Zoe out of the flaming Hellspawn, seconds before another explosion consumed the 45-ton mech.

I shifted my crosshair at a _Grigori_ and let go another shot. My lasers cored its left torso, which didn't make a good effect, but nevertheless turned the armor into orange blob. Ben used it as a bullseye. His Gauss slug blasted the left torso, forcing the _Grigori_ to twist. Then missiles from Evee, David, and some Winsome Rose mechs hit the _Grigori_ like a tidal wave. Autocannon rounds followed suit, ripping the front hull. Two Arrow missiles hammered the weakened armor, and the _Grigori_ keeled over. Smoke billowed from the front, and a second later the 60-ton mech erupted.

"I'm out!" Evee stated.

"Me too!" somebody added. "Good luck Commander!"

More and more _Grigori_ came into range and let loose a hail of Light PPC. Two Winsome Rose mechs blasted off in quick succession. Three tanks followed suit, all within 30 seconds after the mechs went down. And several PPC bolts castrated Ben's _Highlander_. The 90-ton mech teetered, spraying smoke and spark. It used its jets to stabilize itself, but three more PPC bolts tore its torso apart. The mighty _Highlander_ toppled behind.

Since we lost mechs and ammunition, it became harder and harder to bring down the Blakists, but we promised ourselves to fight until death. One _Preta_ came in too close to our group and Victor quickly addressed it. His UAC20 shredded the entire armor of the _Preta's_ right torso. The impact was powerful enough to sweep the _Preta_ off its feet. As the medium mech tumbled, more Winsome Rose mechs came and hammered the _Preta_ from point blank range, as if pouring their revenge for the loss of Rica. It took the _Preta_ a minute before it exploded in a brilliant fireball.

"Parker!" Alison shouted on the comlink. "We've been flanked! More mechs coming from the rear!"

I could expect that. We had been a thorn in the Blakist's flesh for far too long. They were killing us and they wanted to wipe us out in a fiery fashion. A crossfire would send a message to any other resistance about the might of Word of Blake's military, with the Manei Domini as their spear tip.

But when I scanned the incoming mech, I couldn't believe my eyes. They were not the celestial mechs. They were not Word of Blake mechs at all. Their hunched torsos made me smile. They were mechs that I had been longing to see, and the mechs that I almost lost hope on. They were mechs that I thought I would never see again.

_Black Wolf_ omnimechs.

As the _Black Wolves_ poured into the mesa, backed up by _Timber Wolves_ and _Summoners_, the celestial mechs halted their advance. They quickly shifted their crosshairs at the new menace and launched their assaults. Their accuracy staggered the _Black Wolves_, but the Wolves brought plenty of fresh firepower to the battlefield. Lasers, PPCs, missiles and ballistics swept the Word of Blake ranks, and within minutes, the front rank crumbled.

"Do not shoot the Clan mechs!" I ordered. "They are 13th Wolf Regulars. They are here to help us."

"Glad to see somebody is still alive in this planet," somebody hailed me, "so we do not waste our time."

I've heard that voice, but it took me a full minute to recognize it. "Star Colonel Akela?"

"I have my 13th Wolf Regulars with me," his voice jolted with excitement, then turned bitter when he mentioned the reason, "to close the chapter of the Wolverines once and for all. This Word of Blake also destroyed or occupied the HPG in this planet, _quiaff_?"

"_Neg_, we destroyed it so nobody had an advantage in interstellar communication."

"Then they might not know the situation in other part of the Inner Sphere," Akela started filling me in. "The fight against Word of Blake had reached virtually every major world in the Inner Sphere, but the technological advantage the Wolverine lent to the World of Blake kept them on their edge. In 3075, the combined force of Kuritan loyalists, Black Dragons, Clan Nova Cat and Ghost Bear found a formula to beat the Blakist 42nd Shadow at Luthien. This formula was shared with every force in the Inner Sphere. The tide of the battle has been turned. We are on the rising."

"Good to hear that," I confirmed. If only Kyle lived long enough to hear this news. "Alright, Star Colonel, the field is yours."

"There are plenty of them to share," Akela replied, reminding me of our first encounter at Grumium. I could hear him smiling. "These dogs do not deserve honor."

Well, I could not resist that. I owed my men vengeance. So I addressed my troops, "Continue to pick up point, unless you want to stay and hunt some bastards with me."

As I expected, everybody stayed.

* * *


	25. Chapter 24

**TWENTY FOUR**

**Note****: **This chapter contains graphic violence. Reader's discretion is advised.

* * *

_**Victoria, New Avalon Combat Region,  
**__**Crucis March, Federated Suns,  
**__**September 7, 3078**_

My original plan was to divide the remaining survivors based on condition. Those who were out-of-commission would go with Evee to the pick-up point, while I would lead the remaining troops to take part in the counteroffensive. But it seemed like nobody wanted to leave. Even badly-damaged mechs and tanks opted to stay, risking their lives to see the end of the Word of Blake. I couldn't say no. After years of fighting a losing war, this moment was worth watching.

So now it was up to me how I could manage my crippled troops. I couldn't lead them to battle head on. Even a _Preta_ could kill us in a matter of minute. I had to make them fight like a pack of wolves. They would never charge a horde of preys for they were outnumbered. They would pick the weakest animal, isolate it from its horde, then swarm it with overwhelming force.

"Form up on me!" I ordered while engaging a gallop toward the outskirt of the battlefield. "Keep a tight formation. Do not stray! Keep your guns hot but do not fire at anything until I say so."

The 13th Wolf Regular owned the battlefield for the better part of the day. The Manei Domini had better range, speed, and performance, but the Crusader Wolves had better intelligence. They knew how the Manei Domini operated. They knew the achilles heels of the once invulnerable celestial mechs, and they exploited them to the intimate detail. The Word of Blake, on the other hand, had no idea about the 13th Wolf Regular, not so many more about their new _Black Wolf_ omnimechs.

A _Deva_ managed to escape three _Black Wolves_, and slipped behind the Wolf formation. I put my crosshair squarely on its midst and fired off. My twin emerald beams converged into a single point which glowed in red-hot shade. Melted ferro-fibrous rivuleted through the cleavages of its torso.

"Attack my target!" I ordered. Missiles, ballistics, and energy bolts from the remaining tanks and mechs filled the air and swarmed the _Deva_ like drones. The heavy mech staggered and writhed, but kept its balance. The armor level swiftly dropped to orange level, but the mech stood its ground, shaking off salvo after salvo like a cornered animal.

As we reloaded, the _Deva_ returned fire. Its Gauss slug slammed into the turret of a _Von Luckner_. The slug ripped the Gauss-Rifle trio on the turret, and the critical blast took out the tank's reactor. A fireball tore the tank from the inside, and the turret flew some 20 meters up before disintegrated. Not through, the _Deva_'s tripple Light PPC singed a Winsome Rose's _Flashman_. The ancient mech keeled over as the azzure bolts cored its midst. A surge of charge jerked the 75-ton mech, frying its electronics. The _Flashman_ tottered mindlessly before stumbled down the ground.

I trained all my weapons at the _Deva's_ midst and let them loose, first the lasers, then the LBX. The _Deva_ sidestepped my lasers but my scattered shot stunned it, stopping it on its track. David and Victor sank their lasers, turning its front armor into a blotch of bubbling smelter. A big _Highlander_ lined up with Victor's _Night Gyr_ and scored a critical hit with its Gauss gun. The _Deva_ twisted, bleeding fire from its torso, but still held its own.

As improbable as it looked, the _Deva_ came back up and smote Zoe's _Hellspawn_ right in the left torso. Three particle bolts smashed into the missile launcher, incinerating warheads that were being reloaded into the tube. The 45-tonner jerked as the entire left torso expanded into a fireball. Zoe punched her jets, but the _Deva_ decked her with an accurate shot. The _Hellspawn_ slanted out of control before crashing into the hard ground. Pebbles and dirt blended with mech parts, and the _Hellspawn's_ limbs went flying into the air.

"Zoe!" David screamed while turning his mech to give aid.

"I'm fine! I'm fine!" Zoe crackled through the comlink. "Keep pressure on the _Deva_!"

David came back with a vengeance, showering the Blakist mech with his laser. Evee and I backed him up, each of us scored a good hit on its center torso. Victor and his _Highlander_ friend turned the _Deva's_ into a flaming mess, and a _Burke_ tank finally slugged the Blakist with a crippling PPC shot to the chest. As the _Deva_ careened, David approached it with guns trained at its torso. His guns flashed, and the _Deva_ roared in an instant.

Before the explosion even subsided, the _Burke_ suddenly exploded. A _Seraph_ and two _Grigori_ flanked us and buried three consecutive PPC blasts into its hull. The _Burke's_ armor, severely weakened from prolonged battles, didn't stand a chance against the sudden attack. Its burning splinters carved divots on the adjacent mechs, creating minor fire on several parts of the body.

I tried to outmaneuver the Blakists but the faster _Grigori_ swung to the right and ripped a _Bushwacker_ with their missiles. The 55-ton quickly disintegrated under the onslaught. The _Seraph_ charged and jammed its retractable blade into a _Black Knight's_ cockpit. As the _Black Knight_ lifelessly slumped, the _Seraph_ turned its UAC10 at a _Bombardier_. Fire belched from the multi-barreled gun, and the _Bombardier_ went up in flames before the _Black Knight_ even touched the ground.

The sudden attack threw my men into panic. Some broke formation to deal with the new threats, others simply tried to escape the pressure. The two _Grigori_ wiped out my remaining tanks, while the _Seraph_ slugged a fleeing _Thanatos_ from behind. Missiles and ballistics flogged the last member of Jayne Dixon's company, and the 75-ton mech blasted in colorful flares.

"Take out the _Seraph_!" I commanded while firing my lasers. The _Seraph's_ left torso turned orange, but it shrugged off the attack. David, Evee, and Victor bombarded the assault mech with lasers, but the 85-tonner didn't seem to be affected by the onslaught. The _Highlander_ blasted its Gauss rifle, but the Seraph dodged it, making the nickel-ferrous slug sailed harmlessly over its head.

Suddenly several small shadows whizzed right in front of me. Before I knew what it was, the two _Grigori_ started swaying frantically, thrashing left and right as if being possessed. It took me a minute to see some minute figures clinging on the _Grigori's_ body. I had almost forgotten about them; the _Elementals_, Clan's mechanized infantrymen. The _Elementals_ tore the cockpits open, grabbed the pilots and ripped them out of their mechs. As nasty as the Manei Domini cyborgs was, they were no match against the bigger, stronger, and better-armored _Elementals_.

That cleared up our way to the _Seraph_. I was ready to hit it again when three _Black Wolves_ overtook me, blocking my line of fire. I didn't want to make a big deal about it. This is the Wolf's _Grand Melee_, where nothing but guns worked. No _zellbrigen_, no code of honor, just war. Good thing I mentioned about Wolverines behind the Word of Blake, so now the 13th Wolf Regulars fought with such gusto that they were no different than pirates.

"Alright, group! Fall in!" I tried to regroup.

"I'm still here babe," Evee was first to reply.

"This is Malthus. I still have half my guns with me."

"Victor here. I still have 3 shots of my UAC20."

"This is Samantha Rose. My _Highlander_ is in a bad shape, but you can count me in."

The field was almost cleared. The 13th Wolf Regulars took out the majority of Manei Domini. Their casualties were staggering, but the Word of Blake was almost wiped out. Nevertheless, one _Archangel_ was still fighting with dignity, as if it was carrying the last banner of Word of Blake in Victoria. The white paint with distinct markings on its right torso could only mean one thing.

Sigma Precentor Azrael.

I knew that my 5-to-1 advantage was not going to work against the _Archangel_. A jumping 100-tonner, it was christened 'zombie' for its ability to absorb ungodly punishment and keep coming forward. Its Heavy PPC and Plasma Rifle was more than enough to wipe out an entire lance of conventional assault lance. Coupled by C3i and the pilot's neural enhancement, the _Archangel_ was a true angel of death, as its namesake suggested.

"Center mass! Now!" I barked as I pumped my lasers. The _Archangel's_ center torso glowed in red-hot hue, but Azrael took it like a gentle slap on his chest. Victor followed up with his lasers, boring the red blotch with well-placed salvo. Evee and Samantha scored a good hit for each, and David slammed home another double-laser strike. The front torso turned into an overheated smelter, and drips of molten metal hissed and bubbled on the ground.

The _Archangel_ ate the entire assault with dignity, then took off to the air with its powerful jets. A stream of superheated plasma burst from its arm, blasting Samantha's _Highlander _right in the midst. The mighty 90-tonner shook as tongues of fire blanketed its entire upper body. Heat quickly spiked up out of control, and Samantha quickly dumped one-third of her coolant. But her panic move didn't make it better. The coolant caught fire, and the _Highlander_ began to rot in flames.

"Argh! I'm outta here!" I heard Samantha yelled, seconds before her cockpit burst and her safety pod took off.

As the _Archangel_ touched down, I mashed my trigger. My lasers drilled its torso even more, and my LBX cannon sprayed submunitions to a wide area. The impact staggered the mech a bit, and it careened to the right when its feet touched the ground. Victor's UAC20 hammered the Blake, wreaking havoc on its left torso. The _Archangel_ almost toppled as its torso armor was shredded to pieces.

But Word of Blake surely knew how to build a battlemech. The _Archangel_ quickly regained footing and fired its Heavy PPC at David's _Vulture_. The azzure bolt slammed into David's right torso, the least protected part of his mech. The entire structure exploded in catastrophic blast, sending burning shards to fill the air. The bird-like legs twisted to sustain the momentum, and as much as David wanted to stay standing, it was all too much. The _Vulture_ crashed and burnt as David painfully crawled out of the cockpit.

"Bastard!" he roared. "Sorry, mate, you have to go on without me."

Two kills in two strikes. This savage was just too strong to handle. I fired again as soon as my weapons recycled. My twin emerald beams roasted its remaining front armor for the third time, but I began to believe that they did not affect the _Archangel_ whatsoever. It was almost as if Azrael purposely exposed his center torso to enemy fire. Repeated blows like that would have critically damaged any other mech, but this one was still healthy. My lasers couldn't do anything, Victor's lasers couldn't do anything, and Evee's lasers couldn't do anything to it. Only my LBX20 and Victor's UAC20 managed to shake the monster, but I only had 2 more shots. Victor's might've been out.

I could almost see Azrael smiling in his cockpit when he brought his _Archangel_ to fly again. The mammoth guns locked at me. I pushed my joystick forward as hard as I could, but the _Archangel_ quickly twisted and instead fired at Victor's _Night Gyr_. Once again, Azrael's precision exploited the weakest point of the _Night Gyr_. The 70-ton omnimech split into two, ripped by generator explosion. I saw Victor's ejection pod flew into the air as the _Night Gyr_ crumbled in fire.

Unbelievable!

Running out of choice, I ran straight at it, closing the gap between us to 150 meters. I took my best aim, then hit my alpha strike. Waste heat seeped into the cockpit as my mech trembled, sustaining the recoil of my balistics. The _Archangel_ sidestepped my attack, but my scattered shot scored a good hit on its front torso. Globules of molten armor sprayed as cracks began to root in its chest. If I could just linger long enough to exploit that crack, I might've had a chance.

Unfortunately, it was too early to celebrate. The _Archangel_ twisted and singed me with its Plasma Rifle. I felt unbearable heat gripping my cockpit as the superheated plasma enveloped my mech. I couldn't see anything my eyes were sore. My console went dead, and the fire ate away my lasers. I overrode my shutdown sequence, risking myself getting burned alive. I couldn't afford to die out. It was my turn to shoot, and my last shot could determine if Evee got to live or die.

As for me, I was sure I was finished.

But before I could take my shot, Evee charged the _Archangel_ full speed. I knew she had only medium lasers as her weapons, so I knew what she was up to. Azrael, too, knew what she was up to, and quickly deployed his retractable blade, ready to stab Evee's cockpit. I felt my heart stopped. But as Azrael thrust his blade, Evee ducked and hammered the _Archangel's_ center torso with her shoulder. A sickening crunch reverberated through the entire plain, and Evee's right torso fused into the _Archangel's_ midst. The two mechs interlocked together.

"Get out of here Parker," I heard Evee faintly through my dying speaker. "I love you, and I will always love you."

"No!" I knew what she was doing. "Evee! No!"

But I was powerless to stop her. Sparks burst from the back of the _Longbow_, and before Azrael could free himself from the death grip, the _Longbow_ exploded. The fireball consumed the _Archangel_, and soon enough the two were swallowed in a cloud of smoke. Burning splinters chastised my mech, and the shockwave almost make my mech stumble.

I was hoping that I saw an ejection pod before Evee self-destructed her mech. I didn't see any. Did I not see it or did it not happen at all? Evee was impulsive but not stupid, was she? _Was she?_ No she wasn't. _She couldn't be!_ She was the leader of Ridinghood Cavaliers, a battalion that she built from scratch with her own hands. No, she was not stupid. She couldn't just sacrifice herself like that. She had to have an escape plan! Even that I didn't see it, she must have. _She was not that stupid!_

As the smoke cleared, I tried to find evidence of my blabbering, but what I saw was the least I expected. The _Archangel_ was still standing. Evee's explosion tore a bad gash on its torso. Coolant and gear oils gushed out of the wound like blood. But somehow, it was still standing, and Azrael swiveled its torso to get a lock of me. He was hurt, but he was standing.

I saw no reason to live. Evee patched me a way to beat this monster. If I failed to do it, her death was vain, and I had no reason to continue living. _A proud mechwarrior dies in his mech_, she once said. So with my remaining power I charged the _Archangel_ and shoved my remaining LBX gun into its gut. I had one more shot, and I had to make sure it made the kill.

"See you in hell," I whispered, then punched the trigger.

My last shot triggered a chain reaction in the _Archangel_. Three consecutive explosions ripped its torso, then a massive fireball blossomed. I felt a tremendous shockwave, so hard my straps burnt in my flesh. The next thing I knew was this jerk, then everything went black.

When I woke up, I was on the ground with excruciating pain on my left leg. I crunched to inspect it, and by the look of my bluish disfigured knee, I knew I was screwed. I was lucky that my brokenn bones didn't tore up my flesh. Or should I say unlucky? I could be a cripple for the rest of my life. Evee was right, it was better to die in a mech than carry the battle scar forever.

_Ah, Evee. What did you do to yourself, you stupid girl? _I didn't believe she was gone. I pulled myself up to look for her. I saw her _Longbow_, or what was left of it, lying on the ground in flames. I saw the _Archangel_ in similar fashion, and I saw my own mech, my _Red Baron_ that had faithfully accompanied me from Strana Mechty to Victoria. Some pieces of its skin – painted in red – were all that was left of my _Gladiator_. The rest of it had perished. But I didn't see Evee. I refused to believe that she was dead, but the chance of otherwise didn't look good.

Then something moved on the ground. I hobbled to see if it was her, but stopped my steps when I saw a titanium hand crawling out of debris. Little by little the cyborg pulled himself up. His flesh was melted, his hair was burnt, but the robot in him kept him going. He came toward me, dragging his right leg, much like myself.

"You're good," Azrael mumbled. His lips moved incoherently, but his mechanical voice was loud and crisp. "You have a heart, and the fanatics in you will be a great benefit to Word of Blake."

"No," I replied curtly. "Today, we own Victoria. Leave this planet or die."

"Such a shame," Azrael grinned and hobbled toward me. "I could use somebody like you."

I knew I couldn't win against this cyborg. Even in a top shape, I couldn't kill it. So I just stood there, waiting for the titanium hand to take my life away. But I was too caught up to notice that something had come to join us. Something big, as in _Elemental_ big. As Azrael tottered toward me, the _Elemental_ loomed behind him, ready with its claw wide open.

Azrael had only a second to notice before the _Elemental's_ claw descended upon him, punching through his shoulder blades, and exiting from his stomach. A glint of blod spurted from his abs as Azrael twitched. His mouth gaped open, and his biological eye shut as his other LED-green eye glowed to maximum. In a desperate attempt to escape he hammered the _Elemental_ claw with his own titanium hand, but it was obvious that his fate was sealed.

The _Elemental_ raised its arm – with Azrael attached to it – then whipped it toward the ground, hammering half of Azrael's body. Chunks of titanium were hurled everywhere as Azrael's legs fragmented. The _Elemental_ repeated it again, and again, and again, until the lower part of Azrael's body was nothing more than metal beams and shredded myomers. The armored troop then trodded on Azrael's head and yanked its arm upward, ripping Azrael into two.

Satisfied (or sure that Azrael was dead), the big armored troop came to me. It stopped right in front of me and lowered its visor. I could see that it was, indeed, a woman. She gave me a courtesy nod while saying, "Point Commander Tammi, 13th Wolf Regular."

"Thank you, Point Commander," I forced a smile. "I owe you my life."

"You do not owe me anything," Tammi replied. "My job is to wipe all traces of Wolverine in Victoria. I have done my job. Besides, I hate it when your _coffin mate_ regrets being saved by me."

Before I could say anything, Tammi stepped aside, and there she was. Evee was covered in soot and dust, but she was in a better shape than me. I felt all my pain went away. I threw myself at her until I met her midway, then wrapped myself around her.

_I knew she was not dead!_

"Ohh... honey," Evee sighed in my ear. "I thought I'd never see you again."

"What are you talking about?" I retorted. "You're the one that blew yourself up. How did you..."

Evee didn't let me finish it. She mashed her lips against mine, until I abandoned my effort to unleash my frustration. "You didn't think I was that stupid, did you?"

"Nah," I could only grin. "Of course not."

I squeezed her again, tighter than the first time. I probably suffocated her, but she didn't seem to mind. In the distance, the last Manei Domini fell in flames, and Point Commander Tammi raised her bloody claw in a salute before turning around, regrouping with the rest of the Wolf.

* * *


	26. Chapter 25

**TWENTY FIVE**

**Note:** **Kat Wylder** played a large part in finishing this chapter. Her help is very much appreciated.

* * *

_**Victoria, New Avalon Combat Region,  
**__**Crucis March, Federated Suns,  
**__**January 13, 3079**_

If you were not here these past 5 years, you had no idea what happened on Victoria. You couldn't imagine what humans were capable to do to each other. If you weren't here and saw the look on the soldier's eyes, their desperation and their longing for home, you had no idea what they went through. You would just see war like a video game. The more thundering explosions there were, the more excited you would feel.

The great dried lake was now quiet, but the remains of war machines testified about the violence, carnage, and death that took place here within 5 years span. There was not a square yard that was not covered by metal splinters. Some were big enough to see where they came from; others were just pieces and bits that could come from anything.

I stood where my _Red Baron_ last stood against the Word of Blake. There was no track that it had been here except for several dark-red chunks on the ground. I didn't know how long we had been together. Some people told me I had it since the Refusal War. Others said it was long before that. I didn't care about the truth. It was part of my life that I considered lost forever.

I picked up the largest chunk of metal piece, thinking that I would take it home as a memento of how grateful I was to have such a loyal battlemech. But then, I put it back. If _Red Baron_ had a spirit, it wouldn't want me to do it. This was its resting place. I had to respect its grave, just like I had to respect a human's tomb.

Saying goodbye for the last time, I shambled in crutches toward the coalition's base camp. The paramedics had cast my broken knee, but it would take a while to heal, if it would heal at all. There was a chance that I would be constrained to a cane forever. But I didn't care. Let it be a reminder of Kyle Garret, Jayne Dixon, Kangpae, Rica, the three ex Kuritans, and everybody that fell as warriors on Victoria.

The great dried lake was littered with dozens of dropships parked side by side, each bearing Clan Wolf insignia. As war machines trampled up the ramp to enter, two Wolf warriors oversaw the exodus. I remembered them from Grumium. The higher in rank was Star Colonel Akela Kerensky, supposedly the leader of this unit. The other was Star Commander Sigurd, whom I had the honor of fighting in a sacred Clan trial.

"The remaining _Not-Named_ have been chased to the edge of Victoria," Akela stated the obvious, as I approached. "Those who refused to surrender have been disposed. I have put Point Commander Tammi in charge of the prisoners." As if Akela realized his uncommon usage of the term POW, he quickly explained. "The 13th Wolf Regulars will not make _bondsmen_ of these inhuman abominations. We will recycle them later."

"Recycle," I couldn't contain my chuckle. "That's an apt future for them, isn't it?"

Akela shook his head with a brief smile. "This concept amuses you? It seems that you have been recycled, as well."

"What do you mean?"

"To be blunt, we came here for the Unspoken Clan, not for you. As a combatant you are skilled, but as a Warrior, you are disgrace. However, you have assisted us in our extermination of the Unspoken. For that, I will again look the other way... Darien."

My smile quickly subsided. That was a name I thought I would never hear again. "How long have you known?"

"You seem surprised." The Star Colonel smirked. "I have had my suspicions since Grumium. It is not hard to spot a wolf amidst a flock of sheep. Though it was not until I saw your 'Mech, that I could be certain," he replied. His smile waned. "I respect what you did at Tukayyid and Sudenten. I cannot say the same for you personally."

I could tell him what happened, but the Clan would never understand. Just like war, they had to see everything from my eyes before they could understand. They would never shed their pride to come down and walk in my shoes. It was the way they were made. It was what they were.

"I was lost to Wolf the moment I followed Phelan Kell," I said slowly. "This is what I am now. I do not expect you to understand. I just expect you to go home, claim this glory as your own, and leave me alone. I am sure your khan will reward your victory abundantly."

Akela looked at me with suspicious stare, as if digging for hidden meanings behind my words. In the end, I think he understood that I only wanted to have a peaceful life. He might not understand why I wanted that instead of Clan's glorious path, but he was considerate enough to grant me my wish.

"Very well. I hope you find what you are looking for, and I hope that we will not meet again," Akela finally said. He glanced over at Star Commander Sigurd. "There are others who are not so... forgiving as I."

"Likewise, Star Colonel," I gave him a courtesy nod, just as when we first met. I hoped this really would be the last time we crossed paths. "I wish you good luck."

Akela walked back toward the dropship. Sigurd remained standing, shooting a piercing stare into my eyes. By the way his body tensed, I was almost certain that he would like to challenge me in another circle of equal. But in the end he chose to walk away and follow Star Colonel Akela. Why, I didn't know. Perhaps fighting a cripple would be a dishonor. Or perhaps he saw me no better than the _inhuman abomination_ as Akela referred. Some things were better left unsaid.

I would miss them, Akela and Sigurd. However, it'd be better to not meet them again.

As the Wolf populated their dropships for lift off, I walked toward another group of dropships. These dropships had the marking of a bright sun with a sword across it. Evee, Natalie, Alison, Victor, David, Zoe, and some other mechwarriors gathered around a woman that unmistakably held a very high position in Federated Sun hierarchy.

It was a high honor for us that Regent Yvonne Davion-Sandoval visited Victoria, although I was sure that she was here for Kyle and Natalie, and maybe Jayne. The remaining Davions needed to see their leader to feel that their sacrifice was highly regarded. Also, her presence in Victoria was more political than military. She was here as a symbol that Federated Suns had owned Victoria.

"I let them know that Federated Suns acknowledges their help," Yvonne said upon seeing me. "Without their help, we might not have been succeeded. I cannot express my gratitude to every single one of you. Your victory will give tremendous moral boost for my brother and Devlin Stone. The Federated Suns will never forget your sacrifice, and I am here to give you your due honor. For exceptional bravery, I have proposed to House Davion that every single member of Shooting Stars Battalion and Claymore Company is awarded the _Sunburst Medal_."

Tears streaming down her eyes, Natalie whimpered, "I wish Kyle was here to see this."

"House Davion also inducted Natalie and Thomas Garret into Davion family," Yvonne continued. "I will make it my business to see Thomas gets a proper education. Somebody said once that the whole purpose of education is to turn a mirror into a window. I totally agree.

"Natalie will take command of the Shooting Stars. I also referred Alison to Natalie. The Shooting Stars need good tactical officers. As Natalie had proven herself to be a great asset behind the control, Alison was irreplaceable in your unit for the same situation."

I looked at Alison. "So you are leaving us."

"The medic said that I may not pilot a battlemech again," Alison mumbled, holding back tears. "I will just be a burden to you."

"How could you say that?" Evee replied, biting her lips. "You always have a home in New St. Andrews."

"That means a lot, Eev, but New St. Andrews has too many good memories," Alison replied in tears. "Besides, Shinoyama died fighting the Word of Blake. I want to be there when the last one of them dies. I want to look into their eyes, so the last thing they see before they perish is my vengeance."

"Then we will miss you," I offered me my hands for a handshake. "Take care of yourself."

"I never thought working with Wolf could be so much fun," David Malthus poked fun at me. "I look forward to working with you again."

"The honor is all ours," I smiled. "Are you going back to the front line immediately?"

"New Avalon first," Zoe replied, pumping her fists. "Then Terra."

"What about you two?" Yvonne continued. "We need a lot of good warriors. Luthien had been freed. Victoria had been liberated. New Avalon is next, and then we'll get our prize in Terra. This time, you're going with the winning team. Are you up for another adventure? House Davion will provide you with battlemechs and resources."

I looked at Evee, and I immediately knew her answer. I spoke for both of us, "We are honored by your offer, Highness, but we just wish to go home."

"Home it is, then," Yvonne replied, a glint of disapointment loomed in her voice. "What about you, young man?" she turned to Victor Canonizado. "Care to join my husband, brother, and Devlin Stone?"

"I just lost the closest person to me," Victor answered. "I need time to grieve. We all do. I will take the Winsome Rose survivors to New St. Andrews with Parker and Evee."

"Alright," Yvonne concluded. "Once again, Federated Suns is indebted to you. Our victory is your victory too. I hope you find what you are looking for."

"Same to you, Highness," I bowed to show my appreciation. "Good luck with your war."

Yvonne made a little dip then headed back toward her _Overlord_ dropship. We traded handsakes, hugs, kisses, high-fives, until the dropship's master sounded the ready sign. David and Zoe turned to board the dropship. Alison and Evee seemed to reluctant to leave each other, but both knew that their companionship had to end. Alison gave Evee one last embrace before setting her way to the _Overlord_.

Then only Evee, Victor, and I remained.

"We've done what we could," I said to Evee. "We didn't get what we came here for, but we see the end of Victoria campaign. Word of Blake is no more. So what do you want to do next," I put my hand on her shoulder, "Commander?"

"Shower," Evee replied in a playful tone. "A long, hot shower. A bubble bath would be perfect, but I can settle with a hot shower."

"I'll draw you a bubble bath," I replied, no less casual, "if you let me in it."

Evee beamed a little. It had been a while since she did that. I almost forgot how she looked without a long face. "Just take us home, Skipper," she pushed me aside. "Just take us home."

* * *

This is the official end of IK3. Just one more Epilogue, and an abundance of acknowledgment, recognition, and gratitude to people that has been keeping up with me during this 30 months and 75 chapters of **I,Kerensky** trilogy. Yeah, I know, it's been that long, and I really have a lot to thank for. So don't go anywhere yet!


	27. Epilogue

**

* * *

**

EPILOGUE

_**MacGregor Palace,  
**__**New St. Andrews, Periphery,  
**__**October 8, 3132**_

"There's nothing wrong with her," the doctor said to me, faking a calm look. But his eyes gave way to his true feeling, and I caught the sense of giving up. Not that he sucked. He was the best doctor in the entire planet. But some things were just not meant to be. "She is just... old."

I look at Evee through the window, lying weakly at her bed. Catheters swirled in and out of almost every orifice. Machineries helped her organs functioned, and it really broke my heart to see her this way. Long gone the grace of a commander, replaced by _schlerosis_ and _osteoporosis_. Her once lush hair had lost its golden pride, only few grey strands remained as a memento of a once great warrior and leader. And her face had sunk into her skull.

But look at me. At triple-digit of age, I certainly outlived my functionality. I didn't have hair anymore. I could barely walk barring my cane. My back had curved so much I could not stand straight. And often times my muscles seemed to have a mind of their own, although I still could use them sparingly.

Yes, we were old. Fifty-three years after our last war at Victoria, we were old. We never went to another war. Jihad had ended, and the Republic of The Sphere brought calm to the Inner Sphere. And here at this forgotten corner of Periphery, we lived for ourselves. We laughed together, laughed at each other, yelled at each other, sometimes to the point of ripping each other's throat. But no matter how harsh we were to each other, we always made love to each other like the first time. Not a single day passed with regret or boredom for fifty three years.

Fifty three years.

"Can I go in?" It was a stupid question, and I didn't really know why I bothered to ask. I didn't think the doctor would hold me if I barged into her room. But somehow I still wanted to respect her. I always did. As far as I could remember, I never failed to knock on the door whenever she was alone. I didn't think it should change now.

"Go ahead," the doctor replied. I caught his unspoken words that it might be my last chance to speak to her. But the truth was: I already knew. It was not a matter of accepting the fact that she was dying. It was a matter of not wanting to let her go... yet.

Slowly I tottered into the room, taking a place beside her bed. The sound of my cane alerted her about my advent. Her breaths were slow and serene, and she looked at me, still trying to smile. With all her body failing, her eyes were the only ones that carried her youth. She never ran out of youthfulness, even at 96 years old. It was this treat that made all my trouble worthwhile.

"What does he say?" Evee whispered weakly; her voice blended with the whirring sound of the machinery.

"He said you'd get up this night," I lied. "And you'll live for another 10 years."

"Yeah?" She sighed, not in exasperation, but in acknowledgment. She knew, as much as I knew, that it was the end of our road. She knew my denial, and she knew it wouldn't change a thing. "Aww, Parker. What a life we had together."

"Yes, what a life," I nodded my approval. "What a wonderful life. Remember the first time we met?"

"Hm hm... Hogye, 3058," she closed her eyes, but her hand found mine. "Boy has it been that long, but still feels like yesterday. You caged me like a beast... _nolan_, was it? Engadine's pest?"

"You were trying to kill me," I had to laugh at that. "But honestly, you are the prettiest beast I have ever put in a cage."

Evee laughed, then coughed. Phlegm spurted from her mouth, and I grabbed some paper towel to clean it. She took several breaths while rested her head on the pillow. As her breath calmed down, she looked at me sincerely, "Did you love me by then?"

"I uh..." I had to lean on the bed. "I don't know, Eev. I know I didn't give you much respect by then, but that's because I was still a Wolf. I didn't know it, but deep down inside, I was that smug Clanner you hated so much."

"And look who's talking like a _freeborn_, contractions and all," she smiled proudly. "When did you first realize that you loved me?"

"I don't know," I went far back to see if I could remember something. "Perhaps when you helped me planned an escape with some policemen... or perhaps when we were spending months during our flight to Arc Royal. I never thought you had the brain. I thought you were just some grunt... but truly, Eev, I fell in love with your brain. You're incredibly smart for a _freeborn_. Now it's your turn. When did you realize that you loved me?"

"I guess when you came back for me, when I was held by the pirates. I tried to kill you, but you came back for me. Even after I found out you were a Clanner, I couldn't bring myself to hate you. You turned my principles upside down. I might not know it right away, but I knew I didn't want to lose you."

We both fell silent for some time. It was crazy that after knowing her for three-quarter a century, there were things that I didn't know about her. We never talked about these things before, partly because I didn't know how to start, and partly because I never thought they were important. I dared myself to ask, "Is that the reason why you did what you did at Arc Royal?"

"Hm hm," she nodded. "You might think less of me back then, but I knew that I would lose something precious if you went back to Phelan." She heaved a deep breath. "But I lost you anyway. Do you understand why it was really hard for me?" She looked at me in the eye. "I gave you everything – absolutely everything. If you still thought that everything was not enough..."

"Hey, you never lost me," I cut her off. "You were with me every single day at Wotan. You were with me every single day at Solaris. I wished everything didn't happen the way they did, but come to think of it..." I paused for a moment, gauging her reaction, "I wouldn't know what it was to own you if I didn't go through all the pain of losing you."

Evee looked at me with an awkward stare. "Who taught you romantic crap? Kyle?"

"No," I grinned. "Kyle is very supportive about us, but he never told me what to say to you."

"Aren't you glad you had him covering your butt at Solaris?" she smiled in mockery. "Tell me something, honey: why the hell did you think you could get through Solaris alone?"

"I didn't think," I cringed. "All I wanted was to fix my head so there would never be another surprise like Helmer popping out of nowhere. I wanted to be with you, but I felt like a time bomb." I sighed. This period was particularly hard to remember, but I had to. "You had no idea what I had to do to survive Solaris."

"What?" she smirked. "Come on, you can tell me."

"You said it was not important anymore."

"Ah, I might not see tomorrow, Parker. Do you want to keep secrets from me?"

Well, she had a point. There was one secret I had never told her. I hoped this time would never come, but I always knew that I had to tell her, sooner or later. "I wasn't... monogamous when I was in Solaris. I was caught in the middle of game politics, and to save my future, I had to... uhm, _entertain_... this woman."

"So that's your big secret? I thought you had terminal cancer or something." Evee took it exceptionally well. I thought she would burst into jealousy rage, but against my expectation, she remained calm. "Well, honey," she tapped my hand. "I wasn't either."

Somehow I didn't take it well. "Jeremy?"

"Yeah," she nodded weakly. "I was sure I wasn't going to see you again, and New St. Andrews was at the brink of civil war. I could stop it if I married Jeremy. And he just..." She bit her lips. "He just gave me affection, one day after another. He made me weak. I just wanted to be happy."

"Were you happy with him?" I pushed. "Was he a good lover?"

"Ow my God, I don't believe this!" Evee burst out laughing. A proud smile blossomed in her face. "Do I sense jealousy, old Clanner?"

"I am not..." Well, actually I was. I knew she was engaged to Jeremy for some time, and I knew they should get intimate along the way. But hearing it from her mouth was upsetting, as if I was consumed by fire. I didn't know exactly how she could handle my sexual exploit, but I certainly couldn't handle hers. "You're the one that wants to go this way. So let's go all the way. Was he good?"

"Parker, he's everything you're not," she calmed me down, but kept her smile wide. "He was a perfect gentleman, trained for years in the art of diplomacy and seduction. Was he good in bed? My God, yes he was good. Did I enjoy sex with him? Like you never believe I did! But did I marry him?"

Now I felt like an asshole. "No you didn't. I'm sorry."

"There's nothing to be sorry about," she put my hand on her cheek. "You still act like a kid, Parker. But that's why I love you. You're like a child: plain, simple, honest. You say what you feel, and you mean what you say. You make me feel... young." Her eyes twinkled. "I wish Kyle, Alison, Kangpae, Shinoyama, Kikuchi, Yamada, and Rica were here. They'd love to see you like this."

I could only sigh. "Too bad they had to die at Victoria. They were good friends and fine warriors."

"If they didn't do what they do, we wouldn't survive. Just remember them the way they were."

The talk about death quickly worsened my mood. "I'm not ready to live without you, Eev. Don't go yet."

She looked at me, and for the first time in years, I saw tears in her eyes. "I can't fight age, honey. We both know it's coming. It's a matter who will go first. I guess I just win the lottery. Let me go."

"No," I rebuked. "No, this is not the end. I want to take you to Terra. I would swim across the Atlantic Ocean with you. People said the water was nice and unlike anything you can find in New St. Andrews. Then I'll take you to dance at Mount Everest. People die just to be on the highest point on Terra. There are millions of things I want to do with you. Come on, there must be something you want to do before you go."

Evee shifted off the bed a little, leaning on the pillows, throwing her eyes out of the window. I felt my throat clamped. Evee was not a kind of person who was easily offended. She had a big heart. It was one of the rare occasions when I was scared if I offended her.

"I had never..." she mused. "I had never born you a child. I'd never been pregnant."

It took me a long time to realize what she was saying. She always knew that she might not be able to conceive a child with me. She never brought it up and she let her time pass. And now, when there was nothing I could do to change things, she decided to let me know her true feeling.

"I am sorry," I stammered. "It's one thing that I can't give you."

"I know," she smiled. "But we have 10 years to try. There's nothing the two of us can't do, right?"

It was her way to say that there was nothing else she wanted. I looked at her playful eyes, deftly concealing the pain and jealousy inside. I didn't think it was fair for her to sacrifice a lot of things for me. She gave up her sacred privilege to become a mother to be with me. I didn't know why I deserved such an amazing person. Perhaps I was a saint during my Clan years. Or perhaps, I was simply lucky.

However, if she wanted it to change, if she wanted something different, she would've done something to change it, long before it was too late. Her decision to wait until everything was irreversible told me that this was the way she wanted it to happen. There was nothing she would've changed, and there was nothing I could've changed. I just had to accept the fact that I was the luckiest bastard in the Inner Sphere.

"I tell you what," I kissed her hands. "Come to Terra with me, and I'll get you pregnant."

"Hmm... I'd love that," she grinned. "I'd love that."

But of course, our denial only came that far. Evee left me that night.

* * *

_**MacGregor Royal Cemetery,  
**__**New St. Andrews, Periphery,  
**__**October 17, 3132**_

Even the sky cried when they lowered Evee to her final resting place.

The requiem had long finished. The crowd had dismissed themselves into the drizzle, carrying with them the memory of a lost leader, friend, and mother figure. A mother without children. Now only the gravediggers remained, waiting for me to leave so they could seal the tomb and go home to their families.

But I did not want to leave.

Rain kept pattering on my shoulder, and my shirt was drenched, but I did not want to move. Nothing – _absolutely nothing_ – in this world mattered to me anymore. I felt like I wanted to stay there forever. I wanted to see the casket for the longest time, because once the tomb was closed, it would just be a tomb, and I had to live with my memory. Everything felt like a bad dream, and I couldn't wait to get up.

Except that I _was_ up.

I was sad, angry, cheated, fooled, desperate. _How dare she leave me!_ We made a pact to stay with each other. Did it matter not anymore? Perhaps I was just being greedy. Life was just a highway. One day one thing came up, the next day it was gone, and if somebody tried to hang on to it, he'd slow down the pace, and maybe get rammed from behind. Hang on to something and you'll get hurt. Ride away, and enjoy the fast life.

Still, I could hang on to Evee without slowing down my pace. I could confide in her, throw myself at her with the vilest venom possible, and she would take it away from me, leaving me with nothing but peace. She would run with me whenever I wanted to run, and crawl with me whenever I wanted to crawl. She was every bit of me, the good me, the better me, and the only one that I would take on my highway, because she was the only one that knew how to ride with me.

Dear Kerensky, I missed her.

"Uncle Parker," I heard Thomas calling. "I know how much you miss Auntie Evee. But let her rest in peace now. She couldn't have been luckier to have you in her life. Let's remember her the way she wants us to remember her: by living our lives fully."

Thomas Garret-Davion. He was every bit of his father Kyle in his prime. Now a military commander just like his father, he carried the scepter of Garret family well. The Davions must have spared him a place in their own rank in honor of his father. Kyle and Natalie would've been very proud of him. But with all that luxury, Thomas never forgot about Evee and me.

"Thank you, Thomas, but let me stay here for a little while," I replied slowly. "Why don't you send the gravediggers home. It's late and it's raining."

"It doesn't work that way," Thomas put his hands on my shoulder. "Uncle, there's nothing wrong with you being here. But Auntie Evee has to rest. She needs her strength for tomorrow."

"What? What about tomorrow?" I didn't know where Thomas would take me.

"Tomorrow," Thomas flashed a big soothing grin, "she'll wait for you."

"But she's dead," I could only frown. "How can she wait for me if she's dead?"

"Death is only a gateway to another life. Where she's now, there are no tears, no sorrow, no despair, only joy. She will be happy there while she waits for you."

Yes, I remembered getting into this conversation with Evee back at Victoria. There was a thing about her that I had never come to understand. She seemed very certain that there was an afterlife, a life beyond this life, and that if we lived a good life, we would be in a place that had no sadness. Just like Thomas said. I never succeeded in understanding the concept, particularly because she could not explain the fact that nobody had seen this place and lived to tell the tale.

"How do you know?" I came back to my skeptic self. "Have you seen this place?"

"No, but that's the beauty of it," Thomas explained. "You just have to believe. Don't you want to believe that Auntie Evee's in a happy place waiting for you? Don't you want to see her greeting you at the door when your time comes? All you have to do is believe and you'll find everything is true."

"Believe," I tried to grasp this concept. "How should I believe in it if I don't know if it's true or not? How do I know that this is not just wishful thinking?"

"It's called faith," Thomas grabbed my arm. "You always have faith in Auntie Evee, don't you? You have faith in her that no matter how hard your life is, she will always be there for you, here or in the next life. She has never failed you, has she, Uncle?"

"No," I replied in a long sigh. "Never."

"Then have faith in her that she is waiting for you in the next life. Come on, Uncle," he grabbed my hand. "Let her rest in peace."

_Faith_. It was a difficult concept to understand, especially about something surreal like the afterlife. Nobody had seen what it looked like. Nobody had ever gone there and back. Some had faith that the afterlife was a big happy place like nothing we had seen in our lives. But what about Manei Domini? Did they share the same afterlife as Kyle Garret and the victims of their atrocities? Did they share the same happy place with Evee?

But as absurd as it sounded, I liked the thought that Evee was waiting for me. Somewhere, someplace, she was there, waiting for me to come to her again. And if this afterlife was as infinite as many people believe, then there was nothing that could separate us. Forget about Manei Domini. If I could be with her again, I wouldn't care about anything else. It was still an absurd concept, but I started to like it.

"If I learn this faith, will I see Evee again?" I asked. "Is it too late?"

"If all fail," Thomas helped me walk toward the car, "only faith remains."

As we walked, I shot a last glance at Evee's casket. The gravedigger started sealing the tomb, and I knew that, for a little while, I had to live only with her memory. I never imagined this day would come after more than half a century spending my life with her, and it hurt me like a knife through my heart. But I still had hope – and faith – that when my turn came, I would see her again.

"Wait for me, Evee," I whispered. "Wait for me, like you always have."

**THE END**

**Yes, this is it...**

**This is the end.**

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	28. Acknowledgment & Trivia

**ACKNOWLEDGMENT**

Is this the end? I can't believe it is. At this point, the story has received 6500+ hits and 140 reviews. _Wow_. What was first an experiment had become the most popular story I've ever written in any genre. I am working on the pdf file of IK3 on my _deviantArt_ account. It is complete, revised, and illustrated (yes, that means pictures), but I must warn you, some materials are not suitable for minors. Stay tuned and proceed with caution.

So what will happen to Parker? Well, average BattleTech people live 108 years, so Parker still has some years ahead of him. But statistics states that life expectancy of male after being left by his longtime partner is very short. So his end is near, possibly within the year. I don't want to write his death scene. The Epilogue is depressing enough for me, and this is as far as I want to go. But we all know that soon enough he will reunite with Evee in the afterlife, and this time, it's for eternity.

Before anybody asks more about Parker's kid, I have to say I miserably screwed up the facts. For years I believed that Clanners were sterile (can't have natural offspring). I wrote Parker as a sterile man the whole time, so I never bothered to give him kids. I learnt that I was wrong when I wrapped everything up, and it was too late to go back. So let's assume that Clan Wolf made Parker that way. And don't mix "sterile" with "ED"!

I can't thank you enough for the kind support during these 30 months. The unending support you gave me was the primary fuel that gave me strength to drive through 75 chapters of IK1, IK2 and IK3. **Mike, Kat, FraserMage, Mosin, Tas Tiger,**you're always my biggest sources of strength. Without your help, this work will not be as it is. I owe you a great deal. **Bien** and **Rica**, your help in IK3 led me into territories I had never explored before. For **Thire, Katrina, Sarah, Ashley, Flashpoint, Braasch, Texray, SmokeJagWarrior, Dubhe, WinterAngel, Nevermore, Iain, Wolfshadow, Son or Sarah Palin **(cool nickname!)**_,_ Ethan, jgold8, Big Lizzard, Hoya Actual, Jill, Knight, Jason, British enfield, Cairdian**, **OMFG Roach,** thank you always for your support. And a special tribute to **Samantha Rose**. She passed away before this story ended. May she rests in peace.

So what is next? Right now I'm passing the torch to Jeremy Stewart and his Solaris team. No, Jeremy is not a bad guy. He was quite immature in **_We Are Cavaliers_**, but hey, he was 20. He had a lot to learn. So give him a chance and check out his story. Who knows you like him more than Parker (what's not to like about Jeremy? He is young, rich, handsome, well educated, good mechwarrior, good martial artist, carries a katana, romantic, sexually masterful...)

If you like Jayne Dixon, you might catch him again in **MosinM38** story _**Rasalhague Raiders**_. Mosin had showed interest in developing the background story for Jayne Dixon (after all, Jayne Dixon is based on characters Jayne Cobb and Dave Dixon, both played by Adam Baldwin, Mosin's favorite). So the _**Rasalhague Raiders**_ might become the 'prequel' for IK3, in terms of Jayne Dixon. Don't we just love prequels? So tune in for _**Rasalhague Raiders**_. It should be interesting!

And for absolute fun, I put some trivia below. If trivia is not your cup of tea, you can always stop here and go to **_Rubber Match The Series_** (ha ha!) But if you like fun facts, read along! I hope this brings some chuckles before you leave IK series for good.

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**TRIVIA**

Ever wonder where the name "Parker" came? My own name? No, no. It's my pen. I have a 15-year old Parker pen that still runs like a champ; hence the name.

What about "Evee"? Where did the name come from? Believe it or not, _**Nanny McPhee**_. I was looking for a name for my heroine when I watched the movie, and it just struck me. Man, what a great name. But Evangeline is too long, so I shortened it to Evee. And she spoke with such a fine accent that I had to pick New St. Andrews as Evee's home planet (I might not have mentioned this before, but Evee was a Scottish damsel). Now the disturbing question is: Why did I watch _**Nanny McPhee**_? Well, you don't want to know...

Like most of BT/MW stories in this forum, the inspiration for IK1, IK2, and IK3 comes from various books and movies. IK1 is inspired by _Bourne Identity_ (well, that's pretty obvious). **TrembleWolf** had guessed it correctly. Good catch, man! IK2 is inspired by _Snake Eyes_ and _Diggstown_, two unheard movies about politics in boxing. IK3 is inspired by _The Siege of Firebase Gloria_, another unheard movie about US Marines in Vietnam. _Gloria_ is not blessed with eye-popping special effects and expensive actors, but the human drama about sacrifice and losing comrades is comparable to other last-stand movies such as _300_, _Alamo_, or even _Saving Private Ryan_. Personally, it's one of the best (and darkest) war movies I've ever seen.

Some of readers wonder what "Messiah" means. Messiah means "The Anointed One" or as is more popular in movies: "The Chosen One". That being said, is Parker the "Messiah"? No, Messiah in this story is not for Parker. Parker is simply the guy that tells the story (in case you haven't noticed, **_I,Kerensky_** series are told in 1st-person POV). There are two possible meanings of Messiah in this story:  
1. The ones that purifies humanity, or "brings balance to the universe". This is the basis behind Word of Blake's jihad. They claim that they are the Messiah, and justify their killings and nukings by it.  
2. The one that sacrifices himself, because "There is no greater love than to lay down your life for a friend". If you look "Messiah" from this angle, then the title should go to Kyle Garret and Jayne Dixon.

Parker-Evee dancing song in IK2 is _Through The Years_ by Kenny Rogers. Some of Parker-Evee dialogues are also taken from the lyrics of the song (if your eyes are good, you might've caught them already). Most of the death scenes were written when I'm listening to Beethoven. I'm not a Beethoven's fan, but the heavy tune in Beethoven's sonatas give me a dark, somber mood that actually helps me write the death scenes. Creepy, huh?

Hollywood Motion Picture! Some fans asked me what I liked if this story were brought to Hollywood. It was a hard task, but I finally came up with a roster (**Kat, Mike, Bien, Rica_,_** I'm only guessing for your characters. Do revise it as you wish):  
Parker – Matt Damon (for drawing model, I use Mike Tyson in 1985, before he became a freak show.)  
Evee – Jodie Foster (for drawing model, I use Faith Hill. Too bad Faith Hill doesn't act - don't bring up Stepford Wives. That's an _inhuman abomination!_)  
Jerome Helmer – Benicio del Toro or Daniel Day Lewis (I can't decide – both are incredible actors)  
Kangpae – Collin Farrel or Matthew McConaghey  
Alison – Michelle Rodriguez  
Shinoyama – Hiroshi Nagano from V6  
Kikuchi – Masayuki Sakamoto from V6  
Yamada – Yoshihiko Inohara from V6

Sigurd – Karl Urban or Christian Bale  
Akela – George Clooney

Kyle – Gerard Butler or Hugh Jackman  
Natalie – Jennifer Garner or Gina Carano  
David Malthus – Vin Diesel, The Rock, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, or John Cena  
Zoe Catherine – Stacey Keibler

Victor Canonizado – Alfred Vargas  
Rica Canonizado – Toni Gonzaga

Jayne Dixon – Adam Baldwin (yea, _**Mosin**_!)

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